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Land Use Element
Signal Hill General Plan 1
Land Use Element
Community Development Department
June 12, 2001
Approved by City Council Resolution
July 3, 2001
" Planning: process by which people set objectives, assess the future and
Develop courses of action to accomplish these objectives"
" No plan can prevent a stupid person from doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time, but
a good plan should keep a concentration from forming"
( Charles Wilson, 1890- 1960, Chairman of General Motors Corporation and U. S. Secretary of Defense)
" Failing to plan is planning for failure"
Circulation and Infrastructure Element
Of the
Signal Hill General Plan
City of Signal Hill
SAFETY ELEMENT
of the SIGNAL HILL GENERAL PLAN
2
Table of Contents
Section Page
I. Introduction .................................................................................. S. 4
A. Purpose and Scope ................................................................ S. 4
B. Legislative Authorization .......................................................... S. 4
C. Justification for Combining Public and
Safety Elements...................................................................... S. 5
D. Relationship to Other Elements .............................................. S. 5
II. Background and Existing Conditions............................................ S. 5
A. Public Safety ........................................................................... S. 5
1. Floods ................................................................................ S. 5
2. Fire..................................................................................... S. 6
3. Crime ................................................................................. S. 14
4. Hazardous and Toxic Materials.......................................... S. 15
B. Seismic Safety ........................................................................ S. 23
1. Geologic Hazards .............................................................. S. 23
2. Structural Hazards ............................................................. S. 29
3. Seismic Response Areas................................................... S. 31
4. Disaster Response............................................................. S. 31
III. Needs, Issues and Constraints .................................................... S. 35
A. Introduction ............................................................................. S. 35
B. Needs and Issues ................................................................... S. 35
C. Constraints............................................................................... S. 36
IV. Goals and Policies........................................................................ S. 38
V. Implementation – Strategy and Program...................................... S. 44
VI. Glossary ....................................................................................... S. 49
3
List of Figures
Number Page
1 Potential Hazardous Facilities ...................................................... S. 16
2 Regional Fault Zones ................................................................... S. 25
3 Geologic and Slope Hazards........................................................*
4 Seismic Response Area ............................................................... S. 33
List of Tables
1 Fire Department Response Incidents ........................................... S. 7
2 Fire Rating Survey For Signal Hill, 1984 ...................................... S. 11
3 Fire Flow Requirements ............................................................... S. 13
_________________
* Map is located in Signal Hill Planning Department.
4
I INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose and Scope
Much of the land within the City of Signal Hill remains undeveloped as a result of intensive
oil recovery activities. However, as projected in the Land Use Element, the City's
population will increase by the year 2000.1 The population increase will impact the level of
service requirements, particularly for peak- load and emergency levels. Correspondingly,
the impact of hazardous areas within the City, and any corresponding risks, compound as
population increases.
Early identification of these hazards can minimize the level of public exposure. The
purpose of the Safety Element is to create a cohesive guide consisting of specific policy-oriented
programs. The policies and programs outlined in this element provide direction
and a course of possible future action for the various City departments. To achieve its
purpose, the Signal Hill Safety Element accounts for hazardous issues. The City's
intention here is to reduce the potential for loss of life, injuries, damage to property, and
social and economic dislocation resulting from major hazards throughout the community.
Six general hazard areas are considered in this element: flooding, geologic, fire, crime, oil
operations, and hazardous and toxic materials. The interaction of man- made structures
with any of these hazard areas may increase the potential for danger. The Safety Element
format isolates and evaluates identified hazards individually, specifying policies and
programs to mitigate each hazard.
B. Legislative Authorization
The California state legislature has recognized that there are many major threats to safety
throughout the state that should be considered by each city in order to better protect its
citizens. As a result, seismic safety and safety elements are mandatory. The Signal Hill
Safety Element is a combination of the required seismic and safety elements.
Specifically, California Code Section 65302 requires the identification and appraisal of
seismic hazards as follows:
"... susceptibility to surface ruptures from faulting, to ground shaking, to ground
failures, or to effects of seismically- induced waves such as tsunamis and seiches.
"... an appraisal of mudslides, landslides, and slope stability as necessary geologic
hazards that must be considered simultaneously with other hazards such as
possible surface ruptures from faulting, ground shaking, ground failure and
seismically- induced waves." 2
_____________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Land Use Element of the General Plan, 1986.
2 State of California, General Plan Guidelines, 1980, page 124.
5
Government Code Section 65302( i) identifies required safety concerns as follows:
"... fires and geologic hazards including features necessary for such protection as
evacuation routes, peak load water supply requirements, minimum road widths,
clearances around structures, and geologic hazard mapping in areas of known
geologic hazards."
C. Justification for Combining Public Safety and Seismic Safety Elements
As can be seen from the California Government Code, the requirements for both the
Seismic Safety Element and the Safety Element overlap considerably, particularly with
regard to geologic hazards. To complement this overlap and reduce needless duplication,
the seismic safety and safety elements have been combined into one safety element.
D. Relationship to Other Elements
The Safety Element provides basic input into most of the other general plan elements and
contributes information regarding the comparative risk/ safety involved in developing lands
of differing characteristics for various purposes and involving many types of structures and
occupancy levels. The element relates land uses that may be at risk from certain potential
hazards in the community to the availability of effective emergency response services and
facilities to combat the possible hazard. It must provide essential and critical input to the
land use, circulation, and environmental resources elements.
II. BACKGROUND AND EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Public Safety
1. Floods
The City of Signal Hill, generally, is not subject to flood hazards and there are currently no
special flood hazard areas. However, due to its topography, infrequent but intense rainfall
presents minimal flooding potential to most areas of the City. The greatest potential for
rainfall- related flooding is in localized areas south and southeast of the Hill. Although
some flood control facilities are maintained by the City of Signal Hill, the majority are
controlled by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. It is expected that localized
problems will continue until new drainage facilities are provided. There is a remote
possibility that any one of the three City- operated water reservoirs could also rupture and
leak, resulting in localized flood conditions in some areas of the City. The City's three
water storage facilities possess a total holding capacity of 5,350,000 gallons. The City's
existing reservoirs and capacities are as follows:
Water Storage Facility Capacity in Gallons
Gundry Reservoir 4,700,000
Hilltop Tanks 50,000
6
Temple Avenue Tanks 600,000
In addition, a new 5,000,000- gallon reservoir is planned in the future to be constructed on
the Hill. Upon completion, it is expected that Hilltop and Temple Avenue tanks will be
removed. According to engineering studies, the existing Gundry and proposed Hilltop
reservoirs will result in sufficient capacity to meet the ultimate needs of the City. 1
All reservoir facilities in the City are regularly inspected. In the event of a tank leak or
rupture, however, proximate developments could be subject to flooding. If developments
were immediately downslope of a reservoir site and water were to flow rapidly, damage
could be substantial. Fortunately, this situation does not presently exist, and can be
avoided by careful site planning and development review.
If a major flood were to occur in the City of Signal Hill due to severe storm conditions,
responsibility would be shared among three agencies, according to' storm frequency and
severity. The agencies are the City of Signal Hill, Los Angeles County Flood Control
District and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. For a more complete discussion of flood
control and drainage, see the Circulation and Infrastructure Element, Section II. B.
2. Fire
Within the City of Signal Hill exist several fire hazard areas of potential danger to the
safety of the community: open land, urban structures, and industry. Approximately 30
percent of the City's land area remains undeveloped except for oil wells. These areas are
generally grass- covered and may pose some fire danger when dry. Due to good access
for fire- fighting equipment, this danger is minimized. The petroleum industry represents
the most obvious fire hazard with refineries and storage tanks located in the City. Annual
per capita fire losses from 1980- 1984 are shown in Table 1.
________________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Belmont Vista Development, ( prepared by Jim
Hinzdel and Associates, Inc.), February 1985, page IV- 49.
7
TABLE 1
Fire Department Response Incidents -- 1980- 19841
Fires and
Miscellaneous
Incidents
Paramedic
Rescues
Total
Incidents Fire Loss Per Capita
Loss
1980
224 236 460 $ 112,300 $ 19.58
1981
179 320 499 $ 38,700 $ 6.59
1982
131 321 452 $ 162,100 $ 23.24
1983
94 337 431 $ 60,000 $ 8.17
1984
123 455 578 $ 107,100 $ 14.58
Average
150 334 484 $ 96,040 $ 14.43
______________
1 Los Angeles County Fire Department, Operations Bureau, Division IV, December 1985.
8
Industrial and Commercial Fire Hazards
Commercial land use encompasses about 7 percent of the total land area ( see Land Use
Element). Of particular concern in dealing with commercial fires are high- rise, multiple- use
buildings. For new construction, the Uniform Building Code provides that special fire
preventive measures, such as sprinklers, be employed in buildings with floors for human
occupancy more than 75 feet above the lowest level of Fire Department access. In
addition, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reviews and approves plans for most
new construction projects prior to building permit issuance.
Older buildings are often a greater fire risk than is new construction. One- third of all the
commercial property in the City is of pre- 1940 construction, since it is spread fairly evenly
throughout the City, the fire hazard potential is minimal.
Industrial property within the City accounts for 23 percent of the land area. The greatest
number of industrial fires results from the materials used or produced in the manufacture
of flammable and combustible products, such as petroleum. Storage of such flammable
and combustible materials increases the potential for fire and explosion. Oil refinement
and storage represent a major industry in the City, and the numerous oil wells, refining
facilities, and storage tank farms are a potential threat to public safety. Close proximity of
other industrial, commercial and residential land uses increases the possible danger. At
present, there are approximately 600 producing oil wells, storage facilities capable of
holding 2,000,000 barrels of flammable liquid ranging from raw crude oil to highly
flammable gases and liquids and an estimated 1,000 miles of underground piping used for
transference of these liquids and gases. Adjacent to the northeastern City boundary, south
of the San Diego Freeway, are the Long Beach Gas Department's natural gas storage
tanks with a capacity of 10,000,000 cubic feet.
Refineries and storage facilities typically maintain onsite fire suppression equipment and
detailed facility plans should an emergency occur. Non- floating top ( fixed- roof) tanks are
equipped with automatic foam units and all storage areas must be properly diked. In the
event of a major oil fire, the company employees are to be capable of using the
suppression equipment provided by the facility until fire department equipment arrives.
Most existing producing wells pose only a minor to moderate fire hazard. The most likely
cause of an oil well fire is from pumps overheating due to mechanical failures. A more
remote possibility is a fire started by a carelessly dropped cigarette or match. These facts
are supported by the mixed responses by the surveyed communities1 to potential fire or
blowout hazards. Water flood projects in Signal Hill, in particular, have reduced formation
pressures. As a result, gas and oil are in a mixture form, with high water content ( in some
cases approaching 99 percent). Required blowout prevention equipment, along with the
high water content, has significantly reduced potential hazards. In fact, the local office of
the Division of Oil and Gas could not recall a recent blowout or well fire in Signal Hill.
_______________
1 See City of Signal Hill, Oil Production Activities, Page 20, 30 & Appendix B.
9
More serious fire hazards and explosion hazards include the following: crude storage
tanks at well sites and in tank farms in the City; refineries and sites where blending of oil
products and gasoline occur; and high- pressure lines containing natural gas, gasoline,
naptha or other refined products. A crude oil pipeline rarely poses a danger of explosion or
fire unless high gravity crude is involved. The greatest potential hazard, however, is
represented by large natural gas mains owned by Long Beach Gas Company and
Southern California Gas Company. If major ruptures occur and weather conditions are
correct, an entire block could be engulfed with natural gas before igniting.
Residential Fire Hazards
Residential fires are usually confined to single buildings, although there is a danger of
adjacent structures catching fire. Homes with untreated wood shingle and asphalt shingle
roofs, scattered throughout the residential areas of the City, are particularly susceptible.
The City has a number of pre- 1940 homes, although owner- upgrading and maintenance
have kept the majority in good condition. The fire department is prohibited by legal
restrictions from making inspections of single- family homes, except under special
circumstances.
Multiple- family residential structures pose a variety of problems. The large concentration
of people increases the possibility of careless and hazardous activity. In addition,
structural and design characteristics often make emergency response more difficult and
intensify disaster potential. The numerous two- and three- story apartments and
condominiums within the City are primarily of modern construction and good condition.
Personnel and Organization
The City of Signal Hill receives fire protection services from the Los Angeles County
Consolidated Fire Protection District. The only county fire station for the City was
completed in 1973 and is located at the southeast corner of 27th Street and Raymond
Avenue. The station is a part of Battalion 7, Division 1, and houses one engine company
( No. 154), which has a 1,250 gallon per minute ( gpm) pumper. Manning at the station on a
24- hour basis consists of three firemen at all times: a captain, a firefighter specialist and a
firefighter, all certified as emergency medical technicians. The estimated response time for
any emergency call within City limits is 3 minutes.
Other companies, special equipment, manpower and chief officers from the other 125
stations of the Consolidated Fire Protection Districts of Los Angeles County are also
available for service in Signal Hill. For first- alarm fires in Signal Hill, initially, four engine
companies ( including Station 154), one ladder truck company from Long Beach, a
battalion chief, and a paramedic squad from Lakewood will respond. Additional engine
and truck companies will respond for second- and third- alarm fires. 1
_____________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Belmont Vista Development, ( prepared by Jim
Hinzdel and Associates, Inc.) February 1985, page IV- 36.
10
The station's normal response priority is to respond to calls as they come in. In unusual
and disaster situations, the station will respond based on orders from Battalion
headquarters.
The Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County is part of the statewide
Master Mutual Aid System administered through the Office of Emergency Services of the
State of California. Los Angeles County is part of Region 1, which includes five other
counties, and may rely on needed technicians and equipment from other Regions within
the state, once local resources have been exhausted. In addition, the Consolidated Fire
Protection District of Los Angeles County also has a specific mutual aid agreement with
the City of Long Beach Fire Department.
In addition to fighting fires and responding to medical and safety emergencies, Station 154
is also responsible for conducting fire safety inspections, public fire prevention courses
and other community services. Fire safety inspections of commercial businesses are
conducted once a year, whereas inspections of heavy industries and oil facilities take
place three to four times a year. The fire department is also responsible for carrying out
teaching programs designed to educate community members of all ages about fire and
safety hazards, fire prevention and proper responses to fires when hazards do occur.
Finally, the department keeps the public informed regarding the latest fire prevention news
and safety procedures and maintains a communication link between the community and
the department. These additional services are a vital component of a successful fire
prevention program that can eliminate or reduce danger to public safety and
property. 1
Fire Protection
Insurance Services Offices, Inc. ( I. S. O.), provides the basis for grading municipal fire
protection systems. This information is used by fire insurance underwriters to determine
fire insurance rates within any location.
In determining a city's fire protection rating, the I. S. O. evaluates various factors significant
in terms of community safety ( see Table 2). The most recent municipal rating of Signal Hill
was in 1974; an update is scheduled for 1987. Water supply and structural conditions
collected the greatest number of deficiency points. An I. S. O. rating as third or fourth class
is the average for small cities in Southern California.
_______________
1 Telephone interview with Aubry Ferris, fire fighting engineer, City of Signal Hill Fire Department, August
1985.
11
TABLE 2
Fire Rating Survey for Signal Hill – 19741
Relative
Values
Points of
Deficiency
% of
Rel. Value
% of Total
Deficiency
Water Supply
1700 591 35% 30%
Fire Department
1500 299 20% 15%
Fire Alarm
550 357 65% 18%
Fire Prevention
350 122 35% 6%
Building Department
200 66 33% 3%
Structural Conditions
700 433 62% 22%
Additional Deficiencies
126 6%
Total Deficiency
5000 1994 100
Class 4th
________________
1 Insurance Services Office, Municipal Survey, June 1974
12
NOTE: THE CLASS OF A MUNICIPALITY IS BASED ON A TOTAL MAXIMUM OF 5,000
POINTS OF DEFICIENCY AS FOLLOWS:
1st Class 0 – 500 Points
2nd Class 501 – 1000 Points
3rd Class 1001 – 1500 Points
4th Class 1501 – 2000 Points
5th Class 2001 – 2500 Points
6th Class 2501 – 3000 Points
7th Class 3001 – 3500 Points
8th Class 3501 – 4000 Points
9th Class 4001 – 4500 Points ( or a water supply rating of 1700 or a fire
department rating of 1500 deficiency points)
10th Class Over 4500 Points ( or no water supply or no fire protection)
Signal Hill fire flow requirements are shown in Table 3, although certain areas of the City
may require fire flow in excess of those designated. Large industrial or commercial
developments' fire flow must be considered relative to the project size. For emergencies, it
is necessary for public water systems and storage facilities to simultaneously supply
domestic needs, required fire flow to hydrants and an adequate water reserve. The
highest anticipated fire flow is 5,000 gallons per minute.
The Signal Hill water system, like most municipal water supplies in Southern California,
utilizes both groundwater and imported water supplies. The City produces water from two
wells located north of the City limits in Long Beach and imports water from the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Two additional wells are under
construction in Long Beach. Water is stored in reservoirs in the City ( see Circulation and
Infrastructure Element). Interconnections with the City of Long Beach Water Department
are available for emergency supplies. It is recommended that a storage volume equal to
the supply requirements for a maximum day's demand be provided. This emergency
storage amounts to approximately 8.3 million gallons, plus 1.5 million gallons for fire flow
or 9.8 million gallons. This volume requirement necessitated the proposal for a new 5-
million gallon tank atop the Hill. Once constructed, this may reduce the I. S. O. deficiency
and upgrade the class rating.
13
TABLE 3
Fire Flow Requirements1
Fire Flow
Land Use Classification Requirement
( GPM)
Duration
( Hours)
Hydrant
Spacing
( Ft.)
New Construction, Plan Stage
Low Density, Residential, ( R- 1) 1250 2 600
Low Density, Residential, ( R- 2) 1500 2 600
All other ( including multiple,
family, commercial, industrial,
public, schools, etc) based on
lot size as follows:
Under 10,000 square feet 1500 2 300
10,000 - 19,999 2000 2 300
20,000 - 29,999 2500 2 300
30,000 - 39,999 3000 3 300
40,000 - 49,999 3500 3 300
50,000 - 59,999 4000 4 300
60,000 - 69,999 4500 4 300
70,000 - and over 5000 5 300
Must have 20 psi residual
pressure in lines
_______________
1 Interview with Jerry Peskett, Los Angeles County Fire Department, December 1985.
14
Notes:
Fire flow requirements are based on details of construction, siting, surrounding uses, and
other risk factors. The range of required flows is 2,000 gpm for 2 hours to 5000 gpm for
five hours. Beginning with a basic requirement of 1,000 gpm, modifications are possible as
listed below:
a. For each story above ground level, add 500 gpm.
b. For each “ exposure” within 50 feet, add 500 gpm. “ Exposure” includes
property lines, other buildings, or similar risks. For each hazardous
occupancy, add 1,000 gpm.
c. Credits of up to 25% reduction in requirements for type III or better
construction, sprinkler systems and similar fire prevention measures are
available.
3. Crime
The City of Signal Hill maintains a municipal police department that is responsible for law
enforcement and is available for emergency and rescue operations within the City.
The Signal Hill Police Department maintains the following personnel: a police chief, 2
police lieutenants, 6 sergeants, 19 sworn officers, 6 reserve officers and 10 civilian
employees. The department provides security and rescue services to the City and
receives approximately 1,000 calls per month, with the p. m. swing shift ( e. g., 2: 30 p. m. to
10: 30 p. m.) receiving more calls than any other shift. The estimated response time to any
location within the City is 3 minutes.
There is a minimum of 3 patrol officers and 1 supervising officer on duty during each of the
3 shifts operating within a 24- hour period. Aside from the patrol officers on duty, there are
also 2 detectives, 1 detective sergeant, and 1 detective/ crime prevention officer available
for service to the community.
Strictly comparable staffing figures for similar jurisdictions are not easily available. The
Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training of California has published data
on officer/ population ratio. For 35 cities in the 25,000 to 35,000 population range, there is
a ratio of 1 officer for 637 persons in the service population. For 10 local South Bay cities,
the ratio is 1 officer for 586 persons. It should be noted that these gross comparisons do
not account for local conditions, policies, or service philosophies. The City of El Segundo,
for instance, has a ratio of 230 persons per officer, whereas the City of Downey has a ratio
of 711.
With the increase demand for services during the day, the Signal Hill Police Department
may enlist the help of the Long Beach Police Department. A mutual aid agreement with
the City of Long Beach establishes a reciprocal law enforcement status between the two
cities. The Signal Hill Police Department also participates in a statewide mutual aid
program. Assistance from the Long Beach Police Department, when needed, is often
15
adequate to the support Signal Hill’s law enforcement needs; however, if additional
assistance is needed, the City of Signal Hill may call upon the services of the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Since the capabilities of the Police Department could be limited by available manpower,
facilities, and equipment, citizen participation in crime prevention is invaluable. Residents
are encouraged to become active defenders against crime in their community through
participation in police- operated programs. Such educational and citizen participation
programs are offered by the Signal Hill Police Department as a means of limiting
opportunities for crime within the community. Personal safety demonstrations and
neighborhood watch programs are available to community residents to increase
awareness of strangers and possible violators. 1
4. Hazardous and Toxic Materials
Several industries operate within the City of Signal Hill using hazardous materials and/ or
procedures. Of major concern to the safety of Signal Hill residents is the extraction,
transport and storage of crude oil and petroleum products ( see Figure 1, Hazardous
Materials). Other potentially hazardous industries include paint manufacturing, plastics
processing, leather dyeing operations, and battery repair centers. There is also a
company that combines crude oil and chemicals to create a tar- like material for
construction, a corporation specializing in electronic plating of paint to create a special
insulation, one company that uses sulphuric acid to purify water and a metal- galvanizing
plant. All these manufacturers use or produce some type of toxic material hazardous to
human health.
The City has adopted the Sanitary Sewer and Industrial Waste Code of Los Angeles
County by reference. This code covers the handling and treatment of hazardous and toxic
material released into the City's sewer system.
Oil Recovery
Oil recovery, storage and transmission are highly regulated in Signal Hill. Federal, state
and local statutes and ordinances cover design criteria, operations, periodic testing and
inspection, maintenance, permit procedures, control of spills, abandonment procedures,
soundproofing and similar elements of community concern. 2
________________
1 A major portion of the information contained in this crime section was derived from a telephone interview
with Michael McCrary, Chief of Police, City of Signal Hill Police Department, August 1985.
2 Oil Production Activities in the City of Signal Hill – A Policy Direction, City of Signal Hill, July 1983, Pages
11- 20. Unless otherwise specified, information in this section was obtained from the cited report.
16
17
Oil recovery hazards are of concern in the City of Signal Hill, due to the number of
abandoned wells and oil sumps and pits throughout the City that may have been
improperly backfilled. No wells have been improperly abandoned since 1965, due to
stringent City and state requirements. The State Division of Oil and Gas and the City
require proper abandonment and restoration of these sites.
The City requires a soils and foundation investigation on nearly every new structure built,
with special attention given to any potential development site within an oil field. The City is
presently requiring the venting of properly abandoned wells over which buildings will be
placed. The Division of Oil and Gas is now recommending this procedure throughout
California.
Oil and gas withdrawal may create a condition of subsidence, the gradual settling or
sinking of the earth's surface with little or no horizontal motion. This sinking had been
experienced in the nearby Wilmington Oil Fields of Long Beach, but re- pressurization has
stopped the subsidence. To date, the level of subsidence within Signal Hill has been
insignificant.
Secondary oil recovery methods, including a water- flooding program, complicates the
geologic hazards identified in the Seismic Safety Element. Low- energy seismic events
could be induced by water injection of oil extraction areas, although such an occurrence is
considered remote.
Hazards are always present from the periodic maintenance operations of oil wells, which
are typically conducted once or twice a year. These operations require portable derricks
that range from 85 to 100 feet in height. Although rare, there is always the possibility that
a derrick could collapse onto an adjacent structure.
Petroleum Storage
Besides oil extraction, processing and storage of crude oil and petroleum products is a
major industry in Signal Hill. There are three major oil storage facilities in the City: the
Edgington Oil Company facility on Hathaway Avenue; the Signal Hill Terminal facility on
Spring Street; and the Shell terminal facility on Redondo Avenue ( see Figure 1).
Recyclable Class I hazardous wastes resulting from oil production activities are
transported to various holding facilities outside the City of Signal Hill where they are stored
before being treated and transformed into sources of renewable energy. Class I
hazardous wastes, which are non- recyclable, are transported to state- approved waste
disposal sites located either in Santa Barbara County or KettIeman City, California.
18
The oil companies in the City plan to continue oil extraction activities through secondary
recovery methods beyond the year 2000; however, since both the Santa Barbara County1
and Kettleman City hazardous waste disposal facilities are expected reach capacity by the
year 2000, the oil companies must search for new locations to store these non- recyclable
toxic wastes. The City is working with others to investigate sites that are non-contaminating
to both human life and natural environmental resources. 2
The storage of large quantities of crude oil, but more particularly the storage of refined
petroleum products, requires onsite precautionary measures to maximize the safety of
such facilities. The consolidated Fire Protection Districts of Los Angeles County regulate
the storage of all flammable liquids, including crude oil. The City of Signal Hill requires a
conditional use permit for storage facilities. All oil- related activities are also regulated by
the Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
To reduce the possibility of fire, explosion or other catastrophe, the Fire Code regulates
the location of all storage tanks. This includes the spacing between tanks, the types of
foundations and supports, drainage facilities, dikes, walls and fire- fighting equipment and
safety standards. Even with the best of regulations, extremely hazardous areas should be
isolated from the public by utilizing techniques such as land use controls.
Hazardous situations are greatest in oil storage areas if any of the following conditions
exist:
1. Size of the storage facility is large ( over 10,000 bbl. capacity)
2. Specific gravity of the oil stored is over approximately 25 degrees API.
3. Storage is in pressurized tanks ( such as LPG).
4. There is inadequate diking in the containment areas.
5. There is a lack of proper fire- fighting equipment within the storage area.
6. Storage is in un- pressurized tanks or non- vacuum sealed tanks.
__________________
1 The Santa Barbara County facility is at the time of this writing ( February 1986) the center of some
controversy. Its future availability is doubtful.
2 Telephone interview with Oliver H. Covall, City of Signal Hill, oil field superintendent.
19
In the event of a major petroleum accident involving a nominal- sized tank containing
50,000 barrels of light crude, damaging results can be expected.
Some of the following effects could result from a tank rupture and subsequent fire,
whereas others could occur if a vapor- air mixture in the tank resulted in an explosion:
Maximal Radii
From
Petroleum
Tank
Adverse Affect
200 ft.
Severe structural damage from heat generated by burning fuel in the
containment area.
275 ft
Major structural damage from blast overpressure.
375 ft.
Personal injury resulting from heat exposure.
420 ft.
General structural damage to buildings, automobiles and rupture of other
tanks caused by heat radiation
550 ft.
Personal injury from blast overpressure ( distance at which eardrums
rupture)
1,500 ft.
Damage to property and injury from flying debris ( explosion).
In Signal Hill, there are oil storage facilities of extremely large capacity., the Edgington Oil
Company facility on Hathaway Avenue ( 1.2 million bbls.) and the Signal Hill Terminal
facility on Spring Street ( approximately 0.5 million bbls.). Both storage tank farms are
protected by large diked areas and their own fire- fighting equipment.
Storage of oil with high gasoline content presents another potential hazard if the facility
lacks an approved gas recovery system. As the specific gravity of crude oil increases
beyond 25 degrees API, it contains an increasing volume of gasoline vapors, making it
extremely volatile. Approximately 15 percent of the oil produced in Signal Hill has a
specific gravity above 25 degrees API. The majority of the oil is around 20 to 22 degrees
API, the highest being 32 degrees API.
Natural gas is stored in pressurized tanks adjacent to the City boundary near the San
Diego Freeway between Temple and Junipero Avenues by the Long Beach Gas
Department. Also, in the City of Long Beach, Petrolane/ Lomita Gas stores butane and
small quantities of casing head gas at their plant on Orange Avenue and Spring Street. In
Signal Hill, two 750- barrel butane storage tanks are located at the Hathaway Tank Farm,
operated by Edgington Oil Company. These tanks will be protected by a water- spray
deluge system and will be separated from other equipment. A relatively large, clear area
must be maintained around such tanks in case of a leak or rupture.
20
All the large storage areas in Signal Hill have ample diked areas, gas recovery systems,
and their own fire- fighting facilities. Many of these safety precautions are self- regulated
due to compliance with requirements of insurance carriers and federal and state
regulations.
Petroleum Refining
A limited number of petroleum refining activities exist within the Signal Hill City limits. The
oldest facility is the MacMillan Refinery at 2105 Walnut Avenue. MacMillan produces a
variety of products, including, gasoline, motor oil and kerosene. Because of MacMillan's
proximity to offices, residences and the Signal Hill Elementary School, any expansion of
the refinery should be viewed with reservation and concern for surrounding land uses.
In the industrialized area along 29th Street between Walnut and Gardena Avenues, two
refiners are located. McAuley Oil Company operates a small dehydration plant at 1835
East 29th Street. The heating capability of this plant is quite limited and, consequently, the
primary activity involves removing water from crude oil.
Eco Petroleum Refinery is located at 1840 East 29th Street. This topping facility produces
marine fuel oil, naptha, diesel fuel and asphalt. The plant can process approximately
14,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Refining facilities are governed by various air quality management agencies. They are
also periodically inspected by the Los Angeles County Fire Department to ensure
maintenance of onsite fire preventive equipment. Any expansion or introduction of refining
operations requires environmental review and issuance of a conditional use permit by the
City.
Transport of Hazardous Materials
A. Underground Pipelines
The extraction, processing and storage of crude oil and petroleum products within Signal
Hill requires a complex network of transportation links for moving these materials. The
bulk of material is shipped via underground pipelines. Because of the development of oil in
Signal Hill and its location close to major producers, refiners and storage facilities in Long
Beach, Carson, Wilmington, and other jurisdictions, Signal Hill is honeycombed with
pipelines. The principal pipeline routes include: Cherry, Orange, Temple, California and
Walnut avenues; and Spring, 29th, 28th, and Willow streets.
All owners of active pipelines within City right- of- way are required to obtain franchises
issued by the City Council. The franchise requires a rental payment based on length and
pipe diameter. It also establishes procedures for abandonment and transfer of lines.
Although this procedure governs most active lines, the rapid development of oil in the City
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left numerous pipelines in uncharted locations. Most of these lines are unmapped, inactive
and unclaimed.
Within any area of the City where oil operations once existed, excavation on private
property or in the public rights- of- way can be expected to unearth unknown pipelines.
Aside from privately- borne cost to remove such lines on private property, City public works
improvement projects consistently experience unforeseen eats from pipeline removal or
necessary rerouting.
Although pipeline transport is the safest method for shipping petroleum products, pipeline
failure may occur. The risk posed to the public from pipeline rupture varies with the type of
material in the pipeline. A crude oil leak, for example, poses minimal danger of explosion
or fire unless clean, high- gravity crude oil is involved. The known pipelines in the City
transport oil, gas and water. The risk of fire or explosion posed to the public from this
material is considered to be very low.
There is also a potential risk that pipeline rupture and resultant leakage would create an
oil spill and environmental degradation. Should this occur in Signal Hill, the responsible
company would have no means of detection until the oil actually rose to the surface.
Ruptures and resultant leakage have three possible causes:
1. Corrosion of the steel pipes. Materials transported in pipelines in the City are not
corrosive, and the risk of corrosive leakage is not considered significant.
2. Rupture as a result of ground displacement during an earthquake. Moderate
earthquakes are not generally considered significant hazards to steel pipelines,
although the age and condition of the line and the force of the earthquake are
important considerations.
3. Accidental rupture during site grading. This is the most likely cause in Signal Hill.
Pipeline leaks or ruptures are of major concern to most cities with active oil production
facilities. Most leaks or ruptures are small and are normally contained within a well site.
Some spills can affect public rights- of- way and drain into flood control channels through
the storm drain system. In Signal Hill, when leaks or ruptures occur, there is generally no
means of detection until the oil actually rises to the surface. By that time, significant
environmental degradation may have occurred.
When a leak is discovered, it is reported to the Police Department and to the emergency
call system called " Wheel." Its location is indicated and Wheel notifies three oil companies
on its alert call system who, in turn, call three oil firms each, and so on. Each party
receiving the call checks their pipeline map to see if they have a line in that vicinity. If they
do not, they do not respond.
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Ordinarily, the police department is responsible for traffic control, keeping autos and trucks
out of the spill area. Depending on the nature of the spilled material, its probability of
containment and where it is likely to end up before it can be contained, a number of
agencies must be notified. The responsible oil company must notify one or more of the
following agencies: Los Angeles County Flood Control District, the Office of Emergency
Services, the State Department of Oil and Gas, the Regional Water Quality Control Board,
the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and/ or the State Department of
Agriculture. These agencies may supervise details of cleanup and disposal and file
required reports.
The City's principal goal is to have cleanup and repairs begun as soon as possible to
minimize damage to the environment and limit hazard to traffic and property. Ideally, the
first oil company on the scene should begin cleanup and repairs. The difficulty is that it
may not be their structure that is leaking-- at some locations in the City there are upwards
of 10 or more different transmission lines under City streets. The company might then be
left with a cost they could not recover. In numerous situations, ownership of the structure
could not be determined, and the City has had to shoulder clean- up costs.
A second problem relates to the disposal of the waste from the leak or rupture. Current
regulations require that it be disposed of in a Class I hazardous waste facility. Costs of
transporting these wastes to such facilities are high and are expected to rise in the future.
B. Surface Transport
Transportation of hazardous materials is controlled by the State Parcel Carrying
Commission and the Interstate Commerce Commission. Vehicles containing certain
hazardous products are required by state law to log in at departure and arrival and follow
designated routes. Within the City of Signal Hill, truck routes are designated by resolution
of the City Council ( see Circulation and Infrastructure Element).
Spills of Hazardous Materials
Mitigation of the hazardous effects of toxic spills is handled by a number of local, regional,
state and federal agencies. Because of the large oil recovery operations, the City staff
includes an oil field inspector responsible for locating oil and other toxic hazards and when
spills occur, identifying the chemicals involved and notifying the appropriate authorities.
For major spills, the Department of Fish and Game, the Environmental Protection Agency,
the United States Coast Guard, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California
Division of Oil and Gas, the State Office of Emergency Services, the Los Angeles County
Flood Control District and the County Engineer must all be notified. The City must report
any incident or situation that could cause a pollutant to enter surface or groundwaters.
This includes all spills of pollutants to the ground that, by gravity or other means, will flow
or be flushed to the street and eventually to a storm drain, or river, that goes to the ocean.
These systems carry their water flow without treatment and pollutants must, if at all
possible, be removed. The Flood Control District will provide access to, and assist in the
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tracing, containment and removal of water pollutants in the system. The Police
Department and Public Works Department maintains the list of agencies to be called in
the event of an oil spill and will make the requisite calls in an emergency.
Other Hazardous Materials
Aside from oil- related operations, a number of other industries utilize or manufacture
products are considered hazardous. One agency regulating many industries that produce
noxious odors and/ or toxic fumes is the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Some activities, such as roofing, which uses heated tar, and asphalt paving of streets,
emit toxic fumes but remain largely unregulated.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department regulates the amount of hazardous chemicals
stored at any one location, as well as the adequacy of available fire protection. Disposal of
industrial wastes requires a permit issued through the City for the County Sanitation
District of Los Angeles County.
Local regulatory mechanisms for governing industries using hazardous materials include
zoning requirements of the Signal Hill Municipal Code and business license inspections.
The Building Department inspects facilities for structural compatibility with any proposed
use before issuing business licenses.
B. Seismic Safety
1. Geologic Hazards
Regional Fault Zones: Damages incurred in Signal Hill from any earthquake activity are, in
part, a result of underlying geology, proximity to faults and type of local faults. The Signal
Hill area is composed primarily of a broad, slightly elevated marine terrace that is
underlain by over 15,000 feet of stratified sedimentary rocks of marine origin. This marine
section is composed of interbedded units of sandstone, siltstone and shale ranging in age
from Miocene ( approximately 7 million years old) to late Pleistocene ( approximately 2
million years old). Regional uplift, along with some local folding and faulting, has raised
portions of the City area to its present elevation above sea level and the Hill to its height of
365 feet. There are several significant regional faults and fault zones that do not pass
through the City, but that could have significant ground shaking effects. These are
displayed in Figure 2, along with epicenter locations for a number of the more significant
historic earthquakes.
The most prominent fault feature in this category is the San Andreas, a major strike- slip
feature that passes about 44 miles northeast of the general study area, and is recognized
as being capable of Richter- Magnitude 8.0+ earthquakes. The San Fernando fault was the
source of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in 1971, which was felt throughout the Los Angeles
basin.
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Other major active faults and associated Richter Magnitudes of historic earthquakes with
the faults in the vicinity include the Whittier- Elsinore Zone, 15 miles to the northeast, 5.0;
the Sierra Madre Zone, 21 miles to the north, 6.4; and the Norwalk Fault, 4 miles to the
northeast, 5.0.
Local Seismicity
Earthquake history has shown that the most likely place for fault movement to occur is on
an existing fault. Major active faults represent the most likely location for future fault
rupture. The Newport- Inglewood Fault System cuts diagonally across the marine terrace
in Signal Hill. It is the most significant seismic feature in the Signal Hill area and is
considered seismically active. The 1933 Long Beach earthquake resulted from activity
along this fault ( see Figure 2 for epicenter location). Several other faults are traceable in
the subsurface within the City and vary in potential activity ( see Figure 3, Geologic and
Slope Hazards). Earthquakes associated with this fault system will not necessarily cause
surface rupture; however, if fault movement were to occur, such movement would be
expected to cause severe damage to overlying structures and would most probably
interrupt the majority of utilities and services that cross the displacement.
The Newport- Inglewood Fault System is a nearly linear alignment of faults and folds
extending 45 miles along the southwestern side of the Los Angeles basin. It can be traced
as a series of topographic hills, ridges and mesas from the Santa Monica Mountains to
Newport Beach, where it trends offshore. Structures along the zone of deformation act as
groundwater barriers and, at greater depths, as petroleum traps. Continuing seismic
activity has been evidenced most prominently in recent times by the 1920 Inglewood and
1933 Long Beach earthquakes. 1
Since the Newport- Inglewood Fault system is a potentially active fault trace of the San
Andreas Fault, it has been designated by the Alquist- Priolo Geologic Hazards Zones Act
as a Special Studies Zone. The intent of this act is to protect public safety from the hazard
of fault rupture by avoiding, to the extent possible, the construction of structures for human
occupancy astride hazardous faults. The precise location and identification of hazardous
faults within or near a zone of potentially active faults can be determined only through
detailed geologic investigations. Thus, this Act establishes the concept of a Special
Studies Zone— an area of limited extent centered on recognized faults. The zone
boundaries identify those areas that the State Geologist believes warrants special
geologic investigations to detect the presence or absence of hazardous faults.
______________
1 The Long Beach earthquake was magnitude 6.3, and was centered 3.5 miles offshore, southwest of
Newport Beach.
25
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The effect of the Special Studies Zone designation is to require that developers of projects
within the identified zone supply a report prepared by a registered geologist, indicating
whether the project is underlain by an " active" or " potentially active" fault trace. If no such
fault trace exists constraints on private development are not generally imposed ( other than
to ensure that the building be designed to withstand ground shaking). If a fault trace is
discovered, specific building setbacks from the identified trace location must be
maintained. To date, no fault traces have been discovered in Signal Hill.
Active or potentially active faults within the Newport- lnglewood Special Studies Zone in
Signal Hill include the Cherry Hill Fault, the Northeast Flank Fault, Pickler Fault and the
Reservoir Hill Fault ( see Figure 3). These faults are associated with the anticline that
forms Signal and Reservoir Hills. Extensive petroleum and groundwater exploration have
delineated these faults in the subsurface. Surface expression of the faults is generally
limited to weathered scarps that form the flanks of the hills. No ground displacement
( surface rupture) has been observed along the faults of the Newport- Inglewood Zone in
recent geologic times ( last 10,000 years).
The Marine and Wardlow- Airport Faults are traceable only in the subsurface and are not
considered potentially active, although they may be associated with the Newport-
Inglewood Fault System.
Groundshaking: Groundshaking is the description given to the ground surface vibrations
resulting from an earthquake. It is most severe near the source of energy release and/ or
ground displacement and becomes weaker further from the earthquake. However,
groundshaking can be significant and could cause structural damage up to distances of
100 miles or more.
Groundshaking can affect very large areas ( up to 50,000 square miles or more) due to an
earthquake of significant magnitude and is usually the greatest cause of damage,
especially in urban areas. Structures of all types are susceptible to groundshaking, and
most deaths resulting from earthquakes historically are a result of structural failure due to
groundshaking.
The main variable factors that determine the extent of damage caused by
groundshaking vibrations are:
1. Type of soil.
2. Earthquake design of structure.
3. Quality of materials and construction.
4. Intensity and duration of groundshaking.
There is significant evidence to indicate that the soil beneath a site influences the
earthquake groundshaking characteristics at that site. However, the soil influence partly
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depends on the nature of the earthquake and the response of ( and therefore, damage to)
any structure depends on the characteristics of the structure, soil profile and earthquake.
Evidence exists from recent earthquakes ( Seed, Whitman, et al., 1971; Seed and Idriss
1971), as well as the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake ( Martel 1933), that certain
earthquake/ structure combinations can result in greater structure damage in stiff soils.
Such a combination could result from an earthquake and structure with approximately the
same characteristics responding to a nearby earthquake with the same predominant
period of vibration.
Slope Instability: Slope instability during earthquakes can be an important aspect of
seismic ground failure. This is most often manifested as landslides. The areas most
susceptible to this condition are those where:
a. Slopes are greater than 2: 1 horizontal to vertical.
b. Soils or soil lenses are weak, cohesionless, or not cemented.
c. Bedding dips out of the slope.
d. Groundwater is present.
Landslides are described as the ultimate manifestation of unstable slopes, and are
sudden, relatively rapid downslope movements of soil, rock and debris as a mass. The
rate of downslope movement of earth material ranges from miles per hour, in the case of
mudflows, to rates measurable in inches per month or year or less, in the case of soil
creep. The rate of advance is a function of several factors, including:
o Degree of fluid saturation.
o Shear strength of the earth materials.
o Slope morphology.
o Mass and thickness of the deposit.
o Mode of detachment.
o Type and extent of vegetative cover.
Due to the severe slope of Signal Hill and the high seismic hazard potential, the
topography of the Hill and the condition of the soils present an important issue to public
safety. Although the soils of Signal Hill, which are characterized primarily by sand, silt and
clay deposits, are considered to be a sound foundation for buildings and development, the
possibility of a geologic hazard always exists. The slope north of Panorama Drive and
south of 23rd Street and Stanley Avenue represents the steepest incline in the City ( see
Figure 3).
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Appropriate planning and prudent design are required to decrease the danger and
possibility of a severe slope hazard, without excessive cost.
Liquefaction: Liquefaction is the phenomenon in which soils become fluid ( lose all shear
strength) for short periods during an earthquake. It results from shaking of sands and silts
that are lacking in cohesion, packed loose to medium dense and saturated ( usually below
the groundwater table). During shaking, the sands tend to compact and thereby increase
the pressure in the water between the grains. If the shaking is of sufficient strength and
duration, grain- to- grain contact and, therefore, strength is lost instantaneously, and the
soil may become fluid and mobile.
Depending on other conditions such as density, ground slope and stratification, the
temporary loss of strength may result not only in surface sand and soils or cracks, but may
also lead to foundation failures, landslides and excessive subsidence.
Studies of recent earthquakes have concluded that some liquefaction has occurred in
every major earthquake observed around the world in the past 10 to 15 years. Other
studies have concluded that liquefaction has been associated with major earthquakes
throughout history.
To have a potential for liquefaction, three simultaneous conditions are necessary. These
are: ( a) generally cohesionless soils; ( b) high groundwater; and ( c) ground- shaking. All
three of these conditions are not expected simultaneously in the City of Signal Hill.
Accordingly, the potential for a seismically induced liquefaction hazard is considered slight
for the City.
Settlement: Settlement occurs when a large and heavy load is placed on a soil that suffers
from low density. This condition causes the soil to compact and the overlaying structure to
sink.
Settlement may also be induced beyond normal measures by strong seismic ground-shaking.
In saturated granular soils, water pressure between grains that is built up during
earthquakes may lead to settlement after the shaking has stopped and the pressure
reduces. Earthquake- induced settlement can also occur in dry or moist granular materials
simply as a result of shaking without any such water pressure buildup.
In general, the conditions necessary to produce settlement are similar to those needed for
liquefaction. Other than as discussed above in the section on oil recovery, the City of
Signal Hill does not possess areas susceptible to settlement; it is not considered a
significant geologic threat.
Tsunamis: A tsunami is a sea wave generated by a submarine earthquake, landslide or
volcanic action. Tsunamis travel across the ocean as powerful, long, but low waves. They
are typically 50 miles long and only 1 or 2 feet high. Traveling at almost 500 mph in the
Pacific, such a wave in the open ocean causes no problems, and, in fact, the slope of the
29
wave front may be imperceptible to a ship at sea. However, as the tsunami waves
approach the coastline, they are affected by shallow bottom topography and the
configuration of the coastline, which transforms the waves into very high and potentially
devastating waves. If large waves do not occur, strong currents can cause extensive
damage.
Although the California coastline has been struck by several significant tsunamis during
the past 40 years, a major tsunami caused by either of the above events is considered
extremely remote for the City of Signal Hill. Therefore, tsunamis are not serious threats to
life and property in Signal Hill.
2. Structural Hazards1
Seiches: A seiche is an earthquake- induced wave that can be generated in an enclosed
body of liquid of any size. In the past, seiches have most frequently been associated with
large bodies of water such as lakes and reservoirs, but they may also occur within other
bodies of liquid, such as an oil storage tank.
If an earthquake of a magnitude 6.5 or greater were to occur along the Newport-
Inglewood Fault system, it could create a major seiche hazard in water reservoirs and
many of the oil storage tanks located within Signal Hill City limits. If the ground- shaking
and resulting seiche were severe enough, it could cause the storage tanks to burst or
leak, thereby releasing its contents. Such an event could result in extensive structure
failure, economic loss and structure failure and hazard to public safety.
Flooding: Seismically induced flooding is primarily the result of insufficient water retaining
structures, tsunamis or seiches as described above. Flooding effects could result in
extensive economic loss in structurally damaged areas, but due to the elevated
topography of Signal Hill, flooding would be localized. In the event of a sieche occurring in
the Hilltop water tanks, proposed residential zones in the Hill area may be subject to some
degree of flooding. This would depend upon location in relation to topographic features.
Hazards should be mitigated in the City's site and plan development review procedures. In
addition, inspection programs, building codes and performance standards should also
address this potential hazard.
_______________
1 A major portion of the information presented in the structural hazards section was derived from: City of
Signal Hill, Seismic Safety Element of the General Plan, revised in November 1977; City of Signal Hill,
Seismic Safety Element prepared by Woodward- McNeill Associates), September 16, 1974.
30
Building: Ground- shaking will affect all structures; the partial or total collapse of structures
often results in death and injury to residents. The disaster may be compounded by
confusion and concurrent breakdown in life- essential services, such as public utilities,
water storage facilities, medical care and law enforcement. Because of their importance,
these facilities must be located in structures that are earthquake resistant. Moreover,
continual inspection and maintenance must be a part of any seismic safety and disaster
planning program.
One structure of immediate concern is an un- reinforced masonry building at Cherry
Avenue and 21st Street. This building should be subjected to hazard amelioration
programs. Currently used as a dry cleaners, it was identified as historically significant in
the citywide survey of historic structures.
Other structures worthy of special consideration for their relative seismic stability include
oil extraction sites and associated central processing facilities. Numerous residential
structures exist within the currently defined Alquist- Priolo Special Studies Zone, but are of
wood- frame type construction, which reacts most favorably when subjected to strong
ground- shaking. The numerous communication antennas located atop Signal Hill could
suffer sufficient damage to render them inoperative given severe earthquake conditions,
and should thus be subject to periodic inspection.
Roadways: Impediments to evacuation or post- disaster emergency vehicle access could
occur if surface streets are disrupted from surface rupture or clogged with fallen debris.
The Atlantic Avenue's interchange of the San Diego Freeway is susceptible to possible
earthquake damage because of its close proximity to the Cherry Hill Fault. Major
east/ west arterials subject to the same potentials include Spring Street, Willow Street and
Pacific Coast Highway; major north/ south arterials include Redondo, Cherry, Orange and
Atlantic Avenues. Both state and federal construction codes require that freeway
overpasses be of earthquake- resistive construction. A major quake, however, could
dislodge portions of the overpasses, posing serious danger to motorists and block traffic
flow, as evidenced by sections of the 1- 210 and I- 5 freeways collapse during the 1971
San Fernando earthquake.
Electrical: Signal Hill receives its electrical power from Southern California Edison and is
currently undergrounding electrical utility lines as funding is made available. Major
transmission and distribution lines are shown in the Circulation Element, Figure 2. Until
undergrounding is completed, the existing overhead wires could pose a significant hazard
during a major seismic event if they were to fall across streets and block the passage of
emergency vehicles or evacuating citizens. This is most critical on Spring Street, where
tank farms exist; Walnut, south of 28th; Willow, east of Junipero; and Redondo Avenue.
The broken lines could also ignite fires or explosions through sparking, as well as limit
power to emergency facilities. Downed power lines offer electrocution hazards as well as
disruption of power station and water utility facilities, posing a threat to fire fighting
capacities. A comprehensive plan to underground all electrical lines will reduce the
potential threat to public safety and welfare.
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Petroleum: Major oil storage facilities and pipeline corridors traverse the City. These are
shown on Figure 1, Potential Hazardous Facilities. Although pipeline transport is the
safest method for shipping petroleum products, pipeline failure may occur. Pipelines could
be ruptured as a result of ground displacement during a major earthquake. If a pipeline
were to rupture as a result of severe seismic activity, the attendant damage could be
severe and lead to a major explosion and/ or fire.
Natural Gas: The City of Signal Hill, which receives its natural gas supply from the Long
Beach Gas Department, also possesses an extensive network of natural gas pipelines.
Like petroleum pipelines, pressurized natural gas lines are susceptible to damage
wherever they cross seismic fault lines.
The areas surrounding pipelines are also subject to potentially severe fire and explosion
hazards if the lines are ruptured in an earthquake. Even without fire or explosion, major
leakage from these pipelines could result in considerable damage and require extensive
and expensive cleanup. Potential hazards presented by gas pipelines within the City
require consideration in all disaster and emergency planning.
3. Seismic Response Areas
Signal Hill has been divided into smaller Seismic Response Areas ( SRA). These areas
reflect differences in the estimated potential for each seismic hazard. Dividing the City into
SRAs not only assists in identifying hazards, but also enhances the City's ability to
respond quickly and efficiently to emergencies. These hazards have been discussed
previously in this Safety Element; their potentials for occurring are summarized for each
SRA in Figure 4.
As shown in Figure 4, SRA " A" is the largest area and is most likely to suffer adverse
effects from potential hazards. The hazards most likely to occur in this area are fault
rupture, ground- shaking, and slope instability. SRA's “ B" and " C" are not likely to suffer
from fault rupture, but ground- shaking is highly likely. Slope instability possesses only a
moderate potential for occurring in these areas. SRA's " D", " E" and " F" contain a high
potential for ground- shaking; all other hazards have a remote possibility of occurring in
these areas.
Ground- shaking appears to be the most dangerous hazard for all of Signal Hill.
Liquefaction and settlement, flooding, and tsunami and seiche appear unlikely to occur
anywhere in the City. Fault rupture and slope instability maintain high potentials for
occurring in isolated areas, and only moderate- to- low potentials for the rest of the City.
4. Disaster Response
In accordance with state laws, the City of Signal Hill adopted ( July 1984) an emergency
plan that specifies how the City will respond should a major emergency occur. The
emergency plan is consistent and compatible with both the California Emergency Plan and
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the Emergency Resources Management Plan. The City's emergency plan defines policies
and procedures to be followed in the event of a major fire or earthquake or a state of war.
To effectively and economically use material and manpower resources for the maximum
benefit of the civilian population in time of emergency, the plan:
1. Defines roles and responsibilities of City employees in an emergency.
2. Provides for the allocation of critical resources at such times
3. Establishes a basis for mutual aid between and among public agencies at such
times.
Its objectives are to:
1. Save lives and protect property.
2. Repair and restore essential systems and services.
3. Provide a basis for direction and control of emergency operations.
4. Provide for the protection, use and distribution of remaining resources.
5. Provide for the continuity of government.
6. Coordinate operations with the emergency service organizations of other
jurisdictions.
Specific methods of organization and detailed task assignments are included in the
emergency plan. Plans for contingent situations are included as well, to deal with lines of
succession, temporary seat of government, preservation or records, and similar concerns.
Preventive measures that the City may implement to thwart the possibility of a major
hazard are discussed in the plan, including emergency preparedness and public
awareness programs directed at informing and preparing residents for hazards.
During a major disaster, it is essential that certain services be provided and maintained.
Failure to provided these services may result in increased loss of life and property. Among
the services deemed most essential are communication, law enforcement and medical
care.
In December 1985, the City implemented one feature of the plan, the Emergency
Operations Center. Located in the Police Department Squad Room, it will become the
command center during states of emergency as defined by the California Emergency
Services Act, the Governor of California, or the Mayor or the Director of Emergency
Services of Signal Hill.
Communications: During a major disaster, such as an earthquake, access to
communication lines is vital to human life and safety. The importance of maintaining open
communication lines between emergency facilities within the City and outside the City is
obvious. Functioning communications systems can save lives and avoid large economic
losses.
33
34
Aside from maintaining open communication, it is also essential to maintain a functioning
transportation system and operational public utilities in order to implement the emergency
response plan properly. Without the benefits of fully functioning communications,
transportation and public utility lines, the City of Signal Hill may suffer great losses in an
emergency.
Law Enforcement: As the protectors of peace and human safety during non- disastrous
situations, the City of Signal Hill Police Department carries the added responsibility of
regulating peace in the aftermath of a major seismic event. Mutual aid arrangements
between the Signal Hill Police Department and the City of Long Beach Police Department,
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the U. S.
National Guard are available to provide needed assistance and service in a major
emergency. The degree and level of ass} stance may depend upon the scope of the
emergency.
Medical Care: Signal Hill is close to a number of health care facilities. Long Beach
Community Hospital at 1720 Termino Avenue, Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach at
2801 Atlantic Avenue, and Saint Mary Medical Center at 1050 Linden Avenue are the
three largest hospitals in the area and collectively provide over 1,500 general acute- care
hospital beds. Long Beach also supports the 1,200- bed Veteran's Administration Medical
Center on 5901 East 7th Street. Additional emergency medical services are provided by
several nearby 24- hour emergency centers and the local police and fire departments.
Beginning in mid- 1986, the Long Beach Comprehensive Health Care Center ( to be
operated by the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services) will be providing
ambulatory care services for the residents of Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach,
Signal Hill and Wilmington. The new health center will encompass all the services
previously provided at the Long Beach General Hospital including a full range of adult and
pediatric services, laboratory and radiology units. 1
It is not clear if these facilities will provide sufficient bed capacity in the event of a major
emergency. Nevertheless, as a coordinating device, the emergency plan provides the
basis upon which to plan for emergency medical services.
___________________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Long Beach Signal Hill Business Center
( prepared by Atlantis Scientific), March 15, 1985, page 4 to 27.
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III. Needs, Issues and Constraints
A. Introduction
The City of Signal Hill is susceptible to several potential hazards. The impact of these
potential hazards, such as fires and seismic activities, can be devastating to both human
life and property. The early identification of a city's needs not only allows a city to prepare
for potential emergency, but also establishes the foundation for defining goals, formulating
policies and implementing programs aimed at minimizing the adverse effects of potential
hazards. The following identifies the City's needs for public safety, seismic safety and
emergency response.
B. Needs and Issues
The following discussion identifies major needs and issues with respect to public and
seismic safety.
o Seismic Hazards: Flooding and fire hazards, which might be present during a major
earthquake, are discussed below. Other earthquake- related hazards include
structural failure due to the effects of an earthquake. Major risks in Signal Hill exist
in Seismic Response Area " A", which is identical with the Alquist- Priolo Zone. The
City currently requires geological studies in this area, which are used in
development decisions and site review process. Needs include: ( a) development of
standards for grading and slope stabilization that would be responsive to expected
earthquake forces; ( b) continued enforcement of existing codes, ordinances and
inspection procedures, and updating to the state of the art as necessary; and ( c)
structural hazard reduction programs for non- reinforced masonry buildings and
other structures at high risk of damage in a major earthquake.
o Flooding: Flooding would occur under two relatively rare circumstances: a major
storm that overloaded drainage facilities, or an earthquake that ruptured water or oil
storage tanks through seiche. The latter situation requires two mitigating measures:
( a) continued maintenance and inspection of public and private storage tanks under
existing codes, ordinances and procedures; and ( b) site review of new development
to deal with drainage. Excess storm waters are not a significant problem, due to
topography in the City, and the existing system of facilities. Capital improvements
needed are discussed in the Circulation and Infrastructure Element.
o Fire: Fires may result from a number of causes: arson, carelessness and home and
industrial accidents, or from ignorance of proper procedures in home or industrial
repairs. Pre- 1940 structures are of relatively higher risk than newer structures. Of
particular importance in Signal Hill is the potential rupture of tanks and pipelines
carrying petroleum gases and products through earthquake, grading accidents or
corrosion. A compounding factor is the proximity of 66 KV electric power lines. A
break in such a line adjacent to oil or gas storage creates a high potential for fire or
explosion. To mitigate these potential hazards, the City needs: ( a) knowledge of the
36
locations of pipelines, their capacity and usual contents; ( b) continued enforcement
and enhancement of site review, inspections, maintenance and related
requirement; and ( c) public information programs. As noted in the Circulation and
Infrastructure Element, the City has planned a 5- million gallon reservoir atop the
Hill. This will increase fire flow availability and improve the ISO rating.
o Crime: Although crime is not a major problem in Signal Hill, there are a number of
needs ( primarily aimed at keeping criminal activity at a minimum): ( a) high visibility
in the Pacific Coast Highway area; ( b) continued citizen participation in crime
prevention; and ( c) continued public education and information programs.
o Hazardous and Toxic Materials: Because of the concentration of oil- related industry
in Signal Hill, these materials exist in large quantities. Although other hazardous
substances are present in industrial and commercial locations, they do not present
the degree of risk that petroleum products do. Codes, ordinances, inspection and
enforcement procedures are largely in place to deal with these hazards. Needs
include: ( a) continued enforcement of current codes, ordinances and procedures,
and updating them to the current state of the art as necessary; ( b) regional Class I
hazardous waste disposal sites to replace those located at Casmalia ( in Santa
Barbara County) and Kettlaman City ( in Kern County), for economic disposal of the
most hazardous and toxic wastes; ( c) reduction of public exposure to hazardous
areas and facilities as shown on the Hazardous Materials Map; and ( d) procedures
to define responsibility for repair and cleanup of hazardous, dangerous, or other
spilled materials, including cost allocation among companies and agencies for
cleanup involved.
o Disaster Response: The City has adopted an emergency plan that prescribes
disaster response. The plan sets a general framework and allocates responsibilities
to various actors. Most importantly, it establishes a basis for interagency
collaboration and mutual aid. Needs are: ( a) continued public education and
information about disaster preparedness and response, ( b) develop an agreement
with appropriate emergency medical service providers to serve Signal Hill residents
and workers in the event of a disaster, and ( c) definition of emergency evaluation
routes and procedures.
C. Constraints
As part of the planning process, the identification of barriers, or constraints, to City action
is necessary; not so much as a listing of what is impossible, but as a challenge to think
creatively about how to surmount the barrier. The following constraints have been
identified for the Safety Element:
o Prediction of occurrence and intensity of hazardous events. Current knowledge of
earthquakes and other seismic hazards does not permit us to predict the
occurrence, intensity, or effects of seismic activity. Similar constraints exist for
major storms and accidents. Statistical predictions are of some help. As a result,
37
most planning actions must be of a preventive nature. Some can be on a
contingent basis. In most eases, Signal Hill has carefully defined regulations,
inspection procedures and other " before- the- fact" measures. As knowledge of
these phenomena increases and is made available to the City, these measures can
be sharpened and focused.
o Unknown locations of pipelines. The City bas located and mapped an extremely
large number of pipelines, and more are being continually added to the inventory
record. However, previously unknown lines continue to be found and mapped.
This process will continue-- hopefully normal development and grading activities will
uncover such lines without damaging them.
o Rights attendant on private ownership of property. This constraint on government is
a fundamental one. It most often comes into focus in areas of oil field development
standards, accessibility for trucks and servicing equipment, nuisance and hazards
created for adjacent properties, development in areas of earthquake hazard and
slope instability and in the use and deployment of hazardous substances and toxic
wastes. The solution lies in the City's ability to set guidelines that can optimize
competing goals.
o Fiscal limitations. Although not unique to safety, fiscal constraints exist at every
level of government; Signal Hill is no exception. Land acquisition or banking for
open space or hazard mitigation, flood control improvements and similar cost items
must compete for scarce City dollars. To the extent possible, alternate funding
streams must be developed.
o Public commitment to preparedness. On many issues, the public is poorly informed
and not well motivated to prepare for potential hazards and disaster situations. This
lack of information and motivation leads to greater demands on the governmental
response in times of crisis. Public education and preparedness programs are
essential if the impacts of hazards and disasters are to be minimized or eliminated.
o Multiple Jurisdictions. A large number of agencies have jurisdiction over safety
issues in Signal Hill. As mentioned earlier, 8 or 10 different agencies are involved in
toxic/ dangerous material spills, depending upon location, extent and characteristics
of the material itself. Similar conditions obtain for disaster response situations,
although the City's Emergency Response Plan provides a vehicle to define
responsibilities. The problem is repeated with seismic safety issues. The solution
lies largely in the difficult and slow process of inter- jurisdictional collaboration
cooperation and mutual problem- solving.
38
IV. Goals and Policies
As a fundamental purpose of a Safety Element, the following goals, objectives and
policies are intended to serve as a framework for establishing an effective safety program
that responds to local safety needs and issues. Wherever possible, goals and policies are
quantified to respond to previously identified specific safety needs while recognizing the
constraints to Signal Hill's ability to respond. The policies also recognize that safety needs
may exceed the City's available financial resources to satisfy these needs; therefore, the
policies represent a realistic effort by the City to alleviate its current and future safety
needs and issues.
39
GOAL 1
Minimize the potential risks to life, property and economic and social dislocation resulting
from natural and man- made catastrophes, including those resulting from seismic activity,
geologic hazards, fires, tank failures, hazardous materials, epidemics or similar disasters.
POLICY 1.1
Maintain, revise and enforce appropriate standards and codes to reduce or avoid all levels
of seismic or geologic risk.
POLICY 1.2
Maintain and regularly update all seismic and geologic information regarding public safety
in Signal Hill, and ensure the consistency of the information with other affected agencies.
POLICY 1.3
Regulate development in areas within the Alquist- Priolo Special Studies Zone consistent
with levels of acceptable risk.
POLICY 1.4
Recognize the need for greater protection and safety of critical use facilities through
careful site selection and comprehensive geotechnical evaluation.
POLICY 1.5
Regulate the structural safety of all buildings located within the City, especially buildings
constructed before 1933 and buildings housing critical public facilities.
POLICY 1.6
Regulate the amount and type of new development in areas susceptible to fire hazards.
POLICY 1.7
Encourage the Fire Protection District to provide adequate fire protection services
throughout the City.
POLICY 1.8
Design future development located near water storage facilities and below the slope of the
Hill to minimize the possibility of damage from flooding or a water storage facility leak or
rupture.
40
POLICY 1.9
Regulate the location, use, storage and transportation of hazardous and toxic materials in
Signal Hill and protect the public from these hazards.
41
GOAL 2
Provide an environment that is safe and secure and as free from criminal activity as
possible for Signal Hill residents, businesses, employees, visitors and property.
POLICY 2.1
Intensify the City's crime prevention programs.
POLICY 2.2
Respond to crimes against persons and property in Signal Hill in a professional and
effective manner.
42
GOAL 3
Improve the City’s capability to respond to natural and man- made emergencies.
POLICY 3.1
Maintain an effective emergency preparedness plan and program.
POLICY 3.2
To the maximum extent possible, assist in the orderly and efficient reconstruction of Signal
Hill following a major disaster.
POLICY 3.3
Maintain a high level of inter- jurisdictional cooperation and communication on emergency
planning and management.
43
GOAL 4
Assist Signal Hill residents, businesses, workers and visitors in minimizing danger and
disruption to Life and property in the event of a catastrophic event or other emergency.
POLICY 4.1
Undertake preventive measures both for catastrophic events and for more frequent
incidents ( individual structure fires, minor earthquakes, localized flooding, etc.).
POLICY 4.2
To the extent possible, ensure that people take appropriate and effective action to
safeguard life and property during and immediately after emergencies, and assist in
returning their lives and businesses to normal, following a catastrophe.
44
V. IMPLEMENTATION - STRATEGY AND PROGRAM
The following programs shall be used to implement the City's Safety Element goals and
policies. This section outlines a coordinated set of actions for carrying out the policies of
the Safety Element.
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
1. Adopt the current Uniform Building Administrative, Mechanical,
Plumbing, Housing and Abatement of Dangerous Buildings Codes,
and the National Electrical Code.
1.1, 1.5
2. Review periodic changes and amendments to standards and codes
for their application to Signal Hill and adopt them as necessary
1.1
3. Require geologic engineering and/ or soils site investigations on all
potential development sites located within the Alquist- Priolo special
studies zone. Such investigations are to be completed prior to
issuance of a building or other permit.
1.2, 1.3
4. Reinvestigate all potential seismic and geologic hazards located in
and around the City every 5 years, or whenever new information
becomes available.
a. Precisely redefine and delineate actual fault traces in the
Alquist- Priolo special studies zone.
b. Reinvestigate the potential for slope instability and landslide
through geologic investigations of current conditions in and
around the hill.
1.2, 1.3
5. Increase public awareness by developing an education program for
residents and businesses on emergency preparedness
4.1, 4.2
6. Evaluate and implement, as appropriate, a program requiring
developers to institute preventive maintenance for all manufactured
slopes, to provide a slope warranty, and to include such provisions
in CC& Rs, and in schedule of association fees.
1.1, 1.3
7. Establish standards regulating the location of critical facilities near
or within known hazard areas.
1.4
8. Review and revise as needed the City’s current grading
regulations.
1.8
45
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
9. Initiate orderly and regular inspections and appropriate abatement
of structural seismic safety hazards in existing buildings, structures,
and critical facilities within the City.
1.1, 1.5
10. Maintain the City’s agreement with the consolidated Fire Protection
Districts of Los Angeles for fire protection services and periodically
review the adequacy of fire protection services.
1.7
11. Maintain and improve, when necessary, present City zoning
ordinance and subdivision regulations requiring Fire Department
approval prior to project plan approval and completion.
1.6, 1.8
12. Adopt the current Uniform Fire Code provisions and update the
codes whenever necessary.
1.7
13. Encourage the Fire Department to provide public education
programs to be conducted by qualified fire- fighting personnel and
made available to all members of the community identifying
potential fire hazards and appropriate responses.
4.1, 4.2
14. Wit the assistance of the Fire Department, encourage employees
to establish training programs regarding fire prevention, control and
evacuation.
4.1, 4.2
15. With the assistance of the Fire Department, ensure that adequate
code provisions are in place for unobstructed areas to multiple-family
units.
1.6, 1.7
16. Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Fire Department in their
review of minimum fire flows and availability and distribution
requirements for water in new developments
1.6, 1.7
17. Establish procedures for prioritizing services and assistance
provided by mutual aid organizations, including the Long Beach
Police and Fire Departments, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
1.9, 2.1, 2.2,
3.1
18. Increase community awareness of potential crime hazards through
public education programs conducted by qualified law enforcement
personnel for all members of the community.
2.1, 4.1, 4.2
46
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
19. Encourage City residents to become active in their community by
continuing to support programs such as Neighborhood Water
Program.
2.1
20. Periodically review and update, as necessary, all law enforcement
procedures and services to ensure the protection of public safety
and welfare within Signal Hill.
2.2
21. Periodically review and update, as necessary, the City’s security
ordinance.
2.1
22. Perform regular inspections of all water storage facilities located
within the City and, if necessary, implement new procedures to
ensure the safety of these facilities.
1.1
23. Collaborate with state and regional agencies in resolving problems
related to treatment and disposal of Class I hazardous wastes.
1.9
24. Periodically review and update all municipal and building codes
regulating the development and maintenance of facilities that
extract, process, transport and store petroleum, natural gas,
chemical acid materials and other potentially hazardous or toxic
material.
1.9
25. Continue to conduct safety inspections of hazardous and toxic
material facilities and implement, as necessary, any new
requirements for the regulations of safety in these facilities
1.9
26. Collaborate with appropriate agencies and industries to define
responsibility and cost allocation for repair and cleanup of
hazardous, dangerous, toxic and other spilled materials.
1.9
27. Require the annual updating of the City’s inventory of all facilities,
pipelines and transport routes involved with hazard and toxic
material activities.
1.9
28. Periodically update local standards, and support strengthening of
state and federal standards concerning the transportation of
hazardous and toxic materials within Signal Hill.
1.9
29. Specify those roadways that are designated as transportation
routes for hazardous and toxic materials within.
1.9
47
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
30. Develop and automatic shutoff system for petroleum facilities in the
event of a potential hazard.
1.9
31. Develop a system for the automatic dispersal of a neutralizing acid
in the event of a potential hazard.
1.9
32. Develop educational programs for public safety, public works and
inspection personnel identifying the types of hazardous materials
located within the City and/ or proper handling procedures in the
event of a hazardous or toxic material emergency.
1.9, 4.1, 4.2
33. Maintain a capability for dealing with hazardous or toxic materials
emergencies; seek funding for such a capability.
1.9
34. Maintain and revise, as necessary, the City’s emergency response
plan, to ensure the optimal safety and welfare of Signal Hill
residents.
3.1
35. Require regular practice of the emergency response and
management plan by City personnel in a simulated setting.
3.2, 3.3
36. Develop an agreement with appropriate emergency medical service
providers to serve Signal Hill’s residents and workers in the event
of a disaster.
3.1
37. Maintain an evacuation plan providing routes and procedures.
3.1
38. Develop an educational program aimed at informing the public of
proper emergency response procedures.
3.2, 4.1, 4.2
39. Periodically reevaluate the coordinated efforts of all emergency
response agencies to ensure the availability of services and the
efficiency of communication.
3.1, 3.3
40. Prepare a recovery plan for reconstruction of essential services
and facilities in the event of an emergency; develop resources and
available sources of funding.
3.2
41. Adopt appropriate policies that will meet anticipated short- term
needs following a major disaster.
3.2
48
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
42. Recommend to the California Insurance Commissioner that natural
disaster policy be included in the standard fire insurance form or as
an item of extended coverage in standard homeowners policies.
3.1
43. Maintain an emergency operations center in accordance with the
City’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.
3.1
44. Train City employees in emergency response and management
skills.
3.1
49
VI. GLOSSARY
DEFINITIONS - HAZARDS
Critical Facility - Includes facilities that house or serve many people or otherwise pose
unusual hazards in case of damage from, or malfunction during, an earthquake, such as
hospitals, fire, police and emergency service facilities; and utility " lifeline" facilities, such as
water, electricity, gas supply, sewage disposal, communications and transportation
facilities.
Fault - A fracture in the earth's crust forming a boundary between rock masses that have
shifted.
Active Fault- A fault along which there is recurrent movement, usually indicated by
small periodic displacements or seismic activity.
Potentially Active Fault- ( 1) A fault that has moved within the Quaternary Period
before the Holocene Epoch ( the last 2,000,000 to 11,000 years); ( 2) a fault that,
because it is judged to be capable of ground rupture or shaking, poses an
unacceptable risk for a proposed structure.
Inactive Fault - A fault that shows no evidence of movement in recent geologic
time and no potential for movement in the relatively near future.
Fault Trace - A line formed by the intersection of a fault and the earth's surface. It
is the representation of a fault as depicted on a map.
Fault Zone - A fault that is expressed as a zone of numerous small fractures of
breccias or fault gouge. A fault zone may be as wide as hundreds of meters.
Fire Break - A natural or artificial barrier where plants have been removed for fire- control
purposes.
Fire Hazard Severity Scale - A system of classifying and delineating wildland areas of
varying potential for fire using three criteria: fuel loading ( in terms of wildland plants),
weather and slope.
Fire Hazard Zone - An area where, due to slope, fuel loading, weather or other fire-related
conditions, the potential loss of life and property from a fire necessitates special
fire protection measures and planning before development occurs.
Flood Plain – A lowland or relatively flat area adjoining inland or coastal waters that is
subject to a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year ( i. e., 100- year flood).
50
Fuel or Fire Break - A wide strip of land on which plants have been thinned, trimmed,
pruned or changed to types that burn with lower intensity so that fires can be more readily
put out.
Fuel Loading - The quantity of plants and other fuel per unit of land area.
Fuel Management or Fuel Modification - The use or removal of plants in the wildlands to
reduce the intensity of an approaching wildfire and to increase the ability to prevent or
fight fires while preserving and enhancing environmental quality.
Geotechnical Evaluation - A professional evaluation using scientific methods and
engineering principles performed by a soil engineer licensed in the State of California.
Greenbelt - A strategically located, landscaped zone of variable width in which a low
volume of fuel is maintained in a " green" or " live" condition throughout the year by
irrigation, designed to slow or stop the spread of fire and to prevent soil erosion ( e. g., golf
courses, parks).
Ground Failure - A permanent differential ground movement capable of damaging or
seriously endangering a structure.
Hazardous Building - A building that may be hazardous to life in the event of an
earthquake because it:
1. Was constructed prior to the adoption and enforcement of local codes requiring
earthquake resistant design of buildings
2. Is constructed of un- reinforced masonry
3. Exhibits any one of the following characteristics:
o Exterior parapets and ornamentation that may fall on passers- by
o Exterior walls that are not anchored to the floors, roof, or foundation
o Sheeting on roofs or floors incapable of withstanding lateral loads
o Large openings in walls that may cause damage from torsional forces
o Lack of an effective system to resist lateral forces
Hazardous Material - An injurious substance, including pesticides, herbicides, toxic
metals and chemicals, liquefied natural gas, explosives, volatile chemicals and nuclear
fuels.
51
Landslide - A general term covering a wide variety of mass- movement landforms and
processes involving the downslope transport, under gravitational influence, of soil and
rock material en masse.
Liquefaction - ( sed) The transformation of loosely packed sediment into a fluid mass
preliminary to movement of a turbidity current by subaqueous slumping or sliding.
Liquefaction - ( soil) In cohesionless soil, the transformation from a solid to a liquid state
as a result of increased pore pressure and reduced effective stress.
Liquefaction Slide - The rapid and often catastrophic failure of a loose mass of
predominantly cohesionless material that is generated at or near full saturation. The
essential mechanism of such a slide is the sudden transfer of load from the particle
contacts to the pore fluid, with resultant high transient pore- fluid pressures and
consequent loss of strength. Liquefaction slides usually follow upon a disturbance ( e. g., by
earthquake or conventional slide) and can occur both subaqueously and subaerially
( Koppejan et al., 1948).
Maximum Credible Earthquake - The most severe earthquake that appears capable of
occurring, based on present information, including: ( a) the seismic history of the area; ( b)
the length of significant faults within 100 kilometers; ( c) the type( s) of faults; and ( d) the
tectonic or structural history of the region.
Minimum Fire Flow - A rate of water flow that should be maintained to halt and reverse
the spread of a f} re.
Mudslide ( Mudflow) - A flow of very wet rock and soil.
Noise - ( See definitions in the Noise Element Guidelines.)
Potentially Hazardous Facility - Includes dams and reservoirs, nuclear reactors, tall
buildings, other buildings housing many people, such as schools, prisons and hospitals,
and other structures containing large quantities of potentially explosive or toxic materials.
Seiche - An earthquake- induced wave in a lake, reservoir or harbor.
Subsidence - ( a) The sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of the earth's surface
with little or no horizontal motion. The movement is not restricted in rate, magnitude or
area involved. Subsidence may be caused by natural geologic processes, such as
solution, thawing, compaction, slow crustal warping, or withdrawal of fluid lava from
beneath a solid crust; or by man's activity, such as subsurface mining or the pumping of oil
or ground water. Syn: land subsidence; bottom subsidence. ( b) A sinking or downwarping
of a large part of the earth's crust relative to its surrounding parts, such as the formation of
a rift valley or the lowering of a coast due to tectonic movements. Syn: Sinking.
52
Surface Rupture - A break in the ground surface and associated deformation resulting
from the movement of a fault.
Tsunami - A wave, commonly called a tidal wave, caused by an underwater seismic
disturbance, such as sudden faulting, landslide, or volcanic activity.
Wildland - A non- urban, natural area that contains uncultivated land, timber, range,
watershed, brush, or grasslands.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
I. Introduction ................................................................................... C. 6
A. Purpose and Scope ........................................................ C. 6
B. Legislative Authorization ................................................ C. 7
C. Relationship to Other General Plan Elements................. C. 7
II. Background and Existing Conditions ............................................ C. 8
A. Circulation ......................................................................... C. 8
l. Regional Network ................................................ C. 8
2. Local Circulation ................................................. C. 12
3. Integration of Circulation with Land Use ............. C. 22
4. Public Transit and Paratransit ............................. C. 27
5. Bikeways and Pedestrian Circulation .................. C. 30
B. Other Infrastructure ........................................................... C. 31
1. Energy ................................................................. C. 31
2. Communications .................................................. C. 32
3. Public Services .................................................... C. 33
III. Needs, Issues and Constraints ................................................... C. 36
A. Introduction ....................................................................... C. 36
B. Needs and Issues ............................................................. C. 36
1. Future Circulation/ Transportation Needs ............. C. 36
2. Special Areas of Concern .................................... C. 39
3. Traffic Control Improvements ............................... C. 40
4. Bicycle and Pedestrian Pathways ........................ C. 40
5. Other Infrastructure Needs .................................. C. 40
C. Constraints ........................................................................ C. 41
1. Future Circulation/ Transportation Constraints ..... C. 41
2. Jurisdictional Responsibilities .............................. C. 42
3. Dependence on the Automobile ........................... C. 42
4. Fiscal Limitations ................................................. C. 42
IV. Goals and Policies ...................................................................... C. 42
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V. Implementation - Strategy and Programs .................................... C. 45
VI. Street and Highway Standards ................................................... C. 50
A. Design Standards .............................................................. C. 50
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Truck and Bus Routes ........................................................... C. 11
2 Electrical Systems ................................................................. *
3 Sanitary Sewer System ......................................................... *
4 Water Distribution System ..................................................... *
5 Storm Drainage System ........................................................ *
6 Circulation Element ............................................................... *
* These circulation and infrastructure maps are located in the Signal Hill Planning
Department.
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LIST OF TABLES
Number Page
1 Levels of Service ................................................................... C. 15
2 Existing Traffic Conditions ..................................................... C. 16
3 Summary of Existing Intersection Capacity
Utilization and Level of Service .............................................. C. 18
4 Summary of Recommended Street End Treatment ............... C. 21
5 Summary of Existing and Future Land
Use in the City of Signal Hill .................................................. C. 23
6 Summary of Land Use Categories and
Trip Generation Rates ........................................................... C. 24
7 Bus Stop Locations, Long Beach Transit Company .............. C. 28
8 Bus Ridership, 1985, Long Beach Transportation System,
Signal Hill Bus Stops ............................................................. C. 29
9 Signal Hill Water Department Water Availability .................... C. 34
10 Estimated Water Consumption Rate Per Land Use ............... C. 35
11 Future Traffic Conditions ....................................................... C. 37
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I. INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element is to provide
guidelines and policy direction for: ( 1) the provision and maintenance of a
comprehensive transportation system that provides access to all parcels and land use
types; and ( 2) the establishment and maintenance of such infrastructures as water,
sewer, gas, electricity, telephone and petroleum lines.
It is essential for land to be accessible from one or more areas to accommodate the
transport of persons, goods and utility services to, from or across the property.
Circulation access can be provided by way of roadways, bicycle paths, sidewalks or
trails. Utility services can be provided as an integrated part of the transportation system.
Efficiency in the Signal Hill transportation system can be achieved by minimizing the
amount of land necessary to serve properties, consistent with sound transportation
planning and engineering principles. Efficiency in roadway planning, to the extent that it
reduces unnecessary travel, can result in a reduction in automotive emissions and a
corresponding increase in air quality. Fewer square miles of paved streets can also
result in lower volumes of storm water runoff from roadways, with predictable impacts
on storm sewer needs. Most importantly, an efficient transportation system can
contribute to the quality of life in Signal Hill through reducing congestion and trouble
spots and making it easy to move from place to place.
The Signal Hill Circulation Element recognizes that transportation routes and utility
services play an important role in shaping the physical development of the City.
Roadways and utilities, along with structural development, are a part of the architecture
in Signal Hill and provide a relatively permanent foundation foe shaping substantial
portions of the city. Signal Hill's Circulation and Infrastructure Element also offers
opportunities for a variety of transportation means, such as driving, biking and walking.
Lastly, Signal Hill has distinguished view potentials from the Hill that are accessed by
way of roadways and sidewalks.
Circulation maintains vitality in Signal Hill, operating as the system for movement of all
residents, commodities and, to a certain extent, information. The infrastructure network
provides the essential energy resources, services and information linkages to support
Signal Hill residents and visitors.
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B. Legislative Authorization
The State of California recognizes that a Circulation Element provides policy direction
for the location and extent of transportation routes and utility systems throughout a city.
Signal Hill's Circulation and Infrastructure Element also provides policy guidelines for
efficient transportation linkages that offer potential for multi- modal use and for the
reduction, to the extent feasible, of adverse environmental consequences. Government
Code Section 65302( b) requires:
" A circulation element consisting of the general location and extent of existing
and proposed major thoroughfares, transportation routes, terminals, and other
local public utilities and facilities, all correlated with the land use element of the
plan."
Furthermore, the state guidelines recommend that a Circulation Element should
address coordinated land use and circulation relationships, circulation efficiency and
safety, protection of environmental quality and equitable use of economic and natural
resources.
The Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element addresses, to the extent possible,
streets and highways, parking facilities, transit and rapid transit, railroads, paratransit,
bicycle and pedestrian facilities. In addition, the element addresses utility infrastructure
in Signal Hill including petroleum pipelines, natural gas pipelines, electrical transmission
lines, cable television systems, sewer and sanitary waste systems, solid waste
collection, water distribution, flood and drainage control. Although a separate
Infrastructure Element is not required for general plans under state law, inclusion of
infrastructure policies in the general plan is required.
The Circulation Element is a logical counterpart to infrastructure, since many petroleum,
communication and electrical lines and water, sewer and drainage systems are
constructed in conjunction with roadway and sidewalk paving. Policies in the Signal Hill
Circulation and Infrastructure Element relate to circulation, as well as to petroleum
development and provision of natural gas, electricity, communications, sewer and
sanitary waste, water distribution and flood and drainage control.
C. Relationship to Other General Plan Elements
The Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element is closely related to other
elements of the General Plan, such as the Land Use Element. The Circulation and
Infrastructure Element must, at least, guide the support mechanisms for the
development of land as specified in the Land Use Element and, conversely, may dictate
land use policies. For example, where the Land Use Element designates an area for
high density residential uses, the Circulation and Infrastructure Element must guide the
roadway, water, sewer, drainage and utility systems to accommodate the residents
anticipated in that area. Circulation routes in Signal Hill must be coordinated with those
in Long Beach to achieve efficient traffic and pedestrian flow.
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The Circulation and Infrastructure Element is also related to the Environmental
Resources Element. Roadways can be directed to areas that offer views or to
recreational areas as identified in the Environmental Resources Element or, similarly,
away from any identified sensitive habitat areas.
Lastly, the Circulation and Infrastructure Element is related to the Safety Element by
way of emergency access routes. The Safety Element identifies a need for evacuation
routes under emergency conditions, such as earthquake or toxic waste spills. The
Circulation and Infrastructure Element can guide the development of roads to ensure
that their width, number of lanes and level of maintenance are adequate to carry and
direct emergency traffic.
II. BACKGROUND AND EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Circulation
1. Regional Network
The City of Signal Hill is served by a network of transportation systems that influence
physical, social and economic activities within the City and the adjacent region. These
systems include regional thoroughfares and freeways, which are used by automobiles,
commercial vehicles and trucks, public transit and private transit ( such as vanpools).
Users decide which transportation is most suitable to them, based upon their needs,
and upon the relative congestion, convenience and extent of the physical facility.
Circulation planning in Signal Hill requires a coordinated approach, to link the systems
described below, and provide efficient and effective service to the City.
City of Long Beach – Major Generators
Long Beach, which surrounds Signal Hill, has well- established traffic patterns. Signal
Hill must be attentive to these patterns as they indicate the type and location of traffic
that can evolve in Signal Hill.
Long Beach Airport: Long Beach Airport is located one- half mile north of the City of
Signal Hill. Los Angeles International Airport is 20 miles northwest of the City and
provides domestic and international transportation service for passenger and air freight
destinations. As Signal Hill expands its services to accommodate the demand for
economic growth and prosperity, the reliance on airport facilities and service will
incrementally increase. Both the Long Beach Airport and Los Angeles International
Airport Master Plans specifically address the issues of accommodating future growth
and projected levels of service. Freeway access will become increasingly more
important as development in and around Signal Hill and Long Beach continues. Cherry
Avenue and Temple Avenue off- ramp will not sufficiently meet traffic demands unless
proper improvements are implemented.
- 9 -
Long Beach Memorial Hospital: Long Beach Memorial Hospital Medical Center,
Community Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital Center are the three largest providers of
emergency medical services, including ambulatory care services on a 24- hour basis in
the area. Within a year's time, the Long Beach Comprehensive Health Care Center will
have an additional role in influencing the flow of emergency vehicle traffic on the Long
Beach/ Signal Hill roadway system.
Downtown Long Beach: This area has been identified as one of the major commercial
centers of Southern California. In an effort to strengthen the local economy, Long Beach
has concentrated on intensifying business and industrial development. Examples
include a variety of developments in the downtown area, as well as projects such as the
proposed World Trade Center. Most major activity is located south of Pacific Coast
Highway, adjacent to the Long Beach Harbor or in the vicinity of the Long Beach
Municipal Airport. Circulation improvements to these activity centers can potentially
stimulate and expand the production of services, thus strengthening the downtown
economy. As the Long Beach economy grows, there will be indirect effects on Signal
Hill.
Freeways
The San Diego Freeway ( I- 405) provides major access to Signal Hill. 1- 405 contains an
eight- lane cross section and interchanges approximately 3 to 4 miles to the north of
Cherry Avenue with the Long Beach Freeway ( I- 710). There are approximately 2,000
vehicles per lane per hour and, according to the State Department of Transportation,
the San Diego Freeway is approaching its design capacity. Full access is provided at
Atlantic Avenue, Cherry Avenue, Orange Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard.
Northbound 1- 405 access to the City for traffic oriented south on Cherry Avenue is
provided at Temple Avenue. Lakewood Boulevard, near Willow Street, provides full
access to the 1- 405.
The Cherry Avenue ramps are located outside the Signal Hill City limits, within the City
of Long Beach. The northbound ramps for Cherry Avenue are separated for northbound
and southbound Cherry Avenue. For those northbound San Diego Freeway motorists
desiring to exit at Cherry Avenue and travel east and west on Spring Street or travel
southbound on Cherry Avenue, the off- ramp is located at Temple Avenue approximately
one- half mile east of Cherry Avenue and south of Spring Street. The northbound ramp
is located at Cherry Avenue and permits traffic to turn only north into the City of Long
Beach.
Rail: Signal Hill industrial and commercial properties do not have immediate rail access.
The Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroad lines exist adjacent to the City of
Signal Hill. The Union Pacific line is located north of Signal Hill in Long Beach and along
the western boundary of the Long Beach Airport. It terminates just south of East
Wardlow Road at Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. This line is utilized for freight cargo.
- 10 -
The Southern Pacific Railroad right- of- way is located along the southwest boundary of
Signal Hill. This railroad line has been recently deactivated, and the tracks have been
removed.
Harbor: Long Beach Harbor is located 3 miles southwest of Signal Hill. Transportation
linkages to domestic and international destinations allow full passenger and freight
services. Because Signal Hill displays a strong orientation to the oil industry, the
projected increase in economic activity should be accommodated by improving access
routes to the harbor. Additionally, to the extent that Signal Hill is successful in attracting
commerce and industry that rely on the port for shipping of finished goods and/ or raw
materials, accessibility will be a key planning factor.
Trucking Facilities: Signal Hill industrial areas have functional linkages with the Long
Beach and Los Angeles harbor areas. Local truck routes are integrated into the regional
network ( see Figure 1). Port activities are expected to increase significantly by the year
2000, resulting in a doubling of truck trips at the harbor area. 1
Continued economic development in these areas, as exemplified by the Long Beach
World Trade Center, will reinforce the harbor as a regional trucking facility. Plans exist
for an Intermodal Container Transfer Facility proposed north of Willow Street and east
of Alameda Street, which promises to be an additional regional destination. This facility
will transfer container freight between railcars and trucks.
In addition, industries in Signal Hill have access to other regional trucking facilities and
industrial areas through access to the San Diego Freeway and the Long Beach
Freeway. Truck terminals established after November 20, 1984, and local access to
them are covered by a City ordinance2, which requires terminal operators to pay the
cost of necessary street improvements.
________________
1 San Pedro Bay Ports Access Study, Phase 1 Report, Highway Access, SCAG. July 1982.
2 Ordinance Number 84- 11- 937 adopted November 20, 1984. The ordinance regulates
terminals established after its effective date.
- 11 -
- 12 -
2. Local Circulation
In 1983, the City retained Basmaciyan- Darnell, Incorporated ( BDI) to produce a City-wide
Traffic Engineering Study. This work has been the basis for much of what follows
in discussing and analyzing the City's local circulation system.
City of Signal Hill – Major Traffic Generators
Within the City of Signal Hill, there are approximately 8 major employers with 100 or
more employees. The largest employers are Pacific Valve ( 599 employees), Eastman,
Inc. ( 364 employees), General Telephone Company ( 353 employees) and Petrolane
Gas, Inc. ( 230 employees). Gemco and Beach City Chevrolet are major retail uses that
also generate traffic on surrounding roadways.
Also within the City boundaries are several approved developments that will ultimately
be major traffic generators. The completion of the Town Center Specific Plan
development at Cherry Avenue and Willow Street, including the Price Club, will
ultimately attract employees and customers to the area. On the easterly edge of the city
along Redondo Avenue and Obispo Street, the Alamitos Land Company development
will add approximately 30,000 additional daily trip ends. One other area that is
anticipated to increase traffic loads is the redevelopment of the County Hospital site at
Redondo Avenue and Willow Street for expansion of Eastman, Inc.
Types of Street and Highway Systems: Signal Hill is served by a network of roadways
ranging from freeways, such as Interstate 405 ( San Diego Freeway), to local streets,
such as Panorama Drive. Existing local roadways can be described by type of roadway,
volumes and levels of service, capacity and inefficiencies and linkages to other
systems. Each of these features of the existing circulation system is discussed below.
Types of Roadway: The City's existing roadway classification system includes major
highways, secondary highways, secondary highways modified, traffic collector streets
and local streets, as defined below. The standards for such roadways are also included
in the definition of each road classification.
Major Highways are important City and intercommunity routes. A minimum 100- foot
right- of- way with four moving traffic lanes and a center median is required.
Secondary Highways serve locally destined traffic tying together the various parts of the
city and connecting it to nearby areas. A minimum 80- foot right- of- way with four moving
traffic lanes and a center median is required.
Secondary Highways Modified are similar to secondary highways except with a
narrower right- of- way. A minimum 70- foot right- of- way with four moving traffic lanes and
a center median is required.
- 13 -
Traffic Collector Streets collect and feed local traffic from the important thoroughfares of
the system. A 60- foot right- of- way with two moving traffic lanes and two parking lanes is
required.
Local Streets are streets designed to serve residential areas. They are intended to
serve abutting properties and local traffic. Their purposes are to provide sole and
exclusive benefit to the residences fronting upon them and to provide access from
residential neighborhoods to adjacent collector streets.
Signal Hill also has a number of streets that were designated on the 1974 adopted
Circulation Element and the Official Plan Line Map as local access ways. These
roadways are generally the result of older land subdivisions that occurred during the
early 1920s and 1930s. Many of these roadways are not fully constructed nor do they
have adjacent development. The streets have been identified as " paper streets"
because they exist on maps only; the only improvements to the roadways are some
grading and oil- treated surfaces.
The San Diego Freeway ( I- 405) is a vital interregional link in the Signal Hill
transportation system. The freeway, established by the State Highway Commission
( now the California State Transportation Commission), permits direct access to the City
from areas such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica to the north and Orange County to the
south. However, the San Diego Freeway has limited access to the City as described
earlier. The freeway is landscaped and maintained by the California Department of
Transportation ( Caltrans).
Major highways identified in the 1974 Circulation Element include: ( a) Cherry Avenue,
which extends north/ south throughout the city; ( b) Orange Avenue, from Spring Street
south to the Pacific Electric Railroad; ( e) Willow Street, which extends east/ west through
the City; ( d) Spring Street, which extends east/ west through the city, and; ( e) Pacific
Coast Highway, which extends east/ west through, and beyond, the City limits.
Cherry Avenue is a four- lane highway north of Willow Street. South of Willow, Cherry is
only one lane in each direction to 21st Street. Between 21st and the south City limits,
Cherry has been widened. Orange Avenue is a three- lane major highway providing
north/ south circulation. Orange Avenue presently provides one lane in each direction
and a painted median between Spring Street and Hill Street.
Willow Street is a four- lane highway, with two lanes in each direction and a landscaped
center median. Parking is restricted from 4 p. m. to 6 p. m. along the south curb line to
provide three lanes eastbound during the p. m. peak hours. Westbound a. m. peak- hour
restrictions are currently needed. As traffic volumes increase on Willow Street,
permanent parking restrictions will be needed to provide three travel lanes in each
direction.
- 14 -
Spring Street is a four- lane roadway, providing two- lane travel capacity for both east
and west movement through the City. Spring Street has some left- turn pockets, but
signalized turn phasing is not provided.
Pacific Coast Highway ( Highway 1) is located in both Long Beach and Signal Hill, and
bounds Signal Hill on the south. It provides two travel lanes for both east and west-bound
traffic, with left- turn pockets for access into the City.
Secondary highways identified in the 1974 Circulation Element include: ( a) Redondo
Avenue, north of Pacific Coast Highway to the northerly City limit; ( b) Temple Avenue;
( c) Hathaway Avenue; ( d) Junipero Avenue between 28th Street and Spring Street; ( e)
Orange Avenue from the San Diego Freeway to the northerly City limits: ( f) California
Avenue south of Spring Street, and; ( g) 28th Street between Orange Avenue and
Temple Avenue.
One secondary highway modified roadway is identified on the 1974 Circulation Element.
This is Walnut Avenue north of the San Diego ( I- 405) Freeway and between Spring
Street and the southerly city limit.
Collector streets include: ( a) Temple Avenue from Pacific Coast Highway to Hill Street;
( b) Junipero Avenue south of 21st Street; ( c) California Avenue north of spring Street;
( d) Burnett Street; ( e) Hill Street, and; ( f) Alamitos/ 21st Street. Ail other roadways are
local streets.
Capacity Analysis: In order to determine the efficiency of existing roadways, traffic
volumes, levels of service ( LOS) and intersection capacity utilization ( ICU) are analyzed
below. Traffic volume is given in terms of average daily traffic ( ADT) by roadway
segment for major roads. Level of service is a term used to describe prevailing roadway
conditions. It is a qualitative measure of factors such as travel speed, travel time~
interruptions, freedom to maneuver, safety, driving comfort and convenience.
Qualitative definitions for each LOS are shown in Table 1.
- 15 -
TABLE 1
LEVELS OF SERVICE1
Service Level A: There are no loaded traffic signal cycles, and few are even close to
loaded at this service level. No approach phase is fully utilized by
traffic and no vehicle waits longer than one red indication.
Service Level B: This level represents stable operation where an occasional
approach phase is fully utilized and a substantial number are
approaching full use. Many drivers begin to feel restricted within
platoons of vehicles.
Service Level C: At this level, stable operation continues. Loading is still intermittent
but more frequent than at Level B. Occasionally, drivers may ha

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Land Use Element
Signal Hill General Plan 1
Land Use Element
Community Development Department
June 12, 2001
Approved by City Council Resolution
July 3, 2001
" Planning: process by which people set objectives, assess the future and
Develop courses of action to accomplish these objectives"
" No plan can prevent a stupid person from doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time, but
a good plan should keep a concentration from forming"
( Charles Wilson, 1890- 1960, Chairman of General Motors Corporation and U. S. Secretary of Defense)
" Failing to plan is planning for failure"
Circulation and Infrastructure Element
Of the
Signal Hill General Plan
City of Signal Hill
SAFETY ELEMENT
of the SIGNAL HILL GENERAL PLAN
2
Table of Contents
Section Page
I. Introduction .................................................................................. S. 4
A. Purpose and Scope ................................................................ S. 4
B. Legislative Authorization .......................................................... S. 4
C. Justification for Combining Public and
Safety Elements...................................................................... S. 5
D. Relationship to Other Elements .............................................. S. 5
II. Background and Existing Conditions............................................ S. 5
A. Public Safety ........................................................................... S. 5
1. Floods ................................................................................ S. 5
2. Fire..................................................................................... S. 6
3. Crime ................................................................................. S. 14
4. Hazardous and Toxic Materials.......................................... S. 15
B. Seismic Safety ........................................................................ S. 23
1. Geologic Hazards .............................................................. S. 23
2. Structural Hazards ............................................................. S. 29
3. Seismic Response Areas................................................... S. 31
4. Disaster Response............................................................. S. 31
III. Needs, Issues and Constraints .................................................... S. 35
A. Introduction ............................................................................. S. 35
B. Needs and Issues ................................................................... S. 35
C. Constraints............................................................................... S. 36
IV. Goals and Policies........................................................................ S. 38
V. Implementation – Strategy and Program...................................... S. 44
VI. Glossary ....................................................................................... S. 49
3
List of Figures
Number Page
1 Potential Hazardous Facilities ...................................................... S. 16
2 Regional Fault Zones ................................................................... S. 25
3 Geologic and Slope Hazards........................................................*
4 Seismic Response Area ............................................................... S. 33
List of Tables
1 Fire Department Response Incidents ........................................... S. 7
2 Fire Rating Survey For Signal Hill, 1984 ...................................... S. 11
3 Fire Flow Requirements ............................................................... S. 13
_________________
* Map is located in Signal Hill Planning Department.
4
I INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose and Scope
Much of the land within the City of Signal Hill remains undeveloped as a result of intensive
oil recovery activities. However, as projected in the Land Use Element, the City's
population will increase by the year 2000.1 The population increase will impact the level of
service requirements, particularly for peak- load and emergency levels. Correspondingly,
the impact of hazardous areas within the City, and any corresponding risks, compound as
population increases.
Early identification of these hazards can minimize the level of public exposure. The
purpose of the Safety Element is to create a cohesive guide consisting of specific policy-oriented
programs. The policies and programs outlined in this element provide direction
and a course of possible future action for the various City departments. To achieve its
purpose, the Signal Hill Safety Element accounts for hazardous issues. The City's
intention here is to reduce the potential for loss of life, injuries, damage to property, and
social and economic dislocation resulting from major hazards throughout the community.
Six general hazard areas are considered in this element: flooding, geologic, fire, crime, oil
operations, and hazardous and toxic materials. The interaction of man- made structures
with any of these hazard areas may increase the potential for danger. The Safety Element
format isolates and evaluates identified hazards individually, specifying policies and
programs to mitigate each hazard.
B. Legislative Authorization
The California state legislature has recognized that there are many major threats to safety
throughout the state that should be considered by each city in order to better protect its
citizens. As a result, seismic safety and safety elements are mandatory. The Signal Hill
Safety Element is a combination of the required seismic and safety elements.
Specifically, California Code Section 65302 requires the identification and appraisal of
seismic hazards as follows:
"... susceptibility to surface ruptures from faulting, to ground shaking, to ground
failures, or to effects of seismically- induced waves such as tsunamis and seiches.
"... an appraisal of mudslides, landslides, and slope stability as necessary geologic
hazards that must be considered simultaneously with other hazards such as
possible surface ruptures from faulting, ground shaking, ground failure and
seismically- induced waves." 2
_____________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Land Use Element of the General Plan, 1986.
2 State of California, General Plan Guidelines, 1980, page 124.
5
Government Code Section 65302( i) identifies required safety concerns as follows:
"... fires and geologic hazards including features necessary for such protection as
evacuation routes, peak load water supply requirements, minimum road widths,
clearances around structures, and geologic hazard mapping in areas of known
geologic hazards."
C. Justification for Combining Public Safety and Seismic Safety Elements
As can be seen from the California Government Code, the requirements for both the
Seismic Safety Element and the Safety Element overlap considerably, particularly with
regard to geologic hazards. To complement this overlap and reduce needless duplication,
the seismic safety and safety elements have been combined into one safety element.
D. Relationship to Other Elements
The Safety Element provides basic input into most of the other general plan elements and
contributes information regarding the comparative risk/ safety involved in developing lands
of differing characteristics for various purposes and involving many types of structures and
occupancy levels. The element relates land uses that may be at risk from certain potential
hazards in the community to the availability of effective emergency response services and
facilities to combat the possible hazard. It must provide essential and critical input to the
land use, circulation, and environmental resources elements.
II. BACKGROUND AND EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Public Safety
1. Floods
The City of Signal Hill, generally, is not subject to flood hazards and there are currently no
special flood hazard areas. However, due to its topography, infrequent but intense rainfall
presents minimal flooding potential to most areas of the City. The greatest potential for
rainfall- related flooding is in localized areas south and southeast of the Hill. Although
some flood control facilities are maintained by the City of Signal Hill, the majority are
controlled by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. It is expected that localized
problems will continue until new drainage facilities are provided. There is a remote
possibility that any one of the three City- operated water reservoirs could also rupture and
leak, resulting in localized flood conditions in some areas of the City. The City's three
water storage facilities possess a total holding capacity of 5,350,000 gallons. The City's
existing reservoirs and capacities are as follows:
Water Storage Facility Capacity in Gallons
Gundry Reservoir 4,700,000
Hilltop Tanks 50,000
6
Temple Avenue Tanks 600,000
In addition, a new 5,000,000- gallon reservoir is planned in the future to be constructed on
the Hill. Upon completion, it is expected that Hilltop and Temple Avenue tanks will be
removed. According to engineering studies, the existing Gundry and proposed Hilltop
reservoirs will result in sufficient capacity to meet the ultimate needs of the City. 1
All reservoir facilities in the City are regularly inspected. In the event of a tank leak or
rupture, however, proximate developments could be subject to flooding. If developments
were immediately downslope of a reservoir site and water were to flow rapidly, damage
could be substantial. Fortunately, this situation does not presently exist, and can be
avoided by careful site planning and development review.
If a major flood were to occur in the City of Signal Hill due to severe storm conditions,
responsibility would be shared among three agencies, according to' storm frequency and
severity. The agencies are the City of Signal Hill, Los Angeles County Flood Control
District and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. For a more complete discussion of flood
control and drainage, see the Circulation and Infrastructure Element, Section II. B.
2. Fire
Within the City of Signal Hill exist several fire hazard areas of potential danger to the
safety of the community: open land, urban structures, and industry. Approximately 30
percent of the City's land area remains undeveloped except for oil wells. These areas are
generally grass- covered and may pose some fire danger when dry. Due to good access
for fire- fighting equipment, this danger is minimized. The petroleum industry represents
the most obvious fire hazard with refineries and storage tanks located in the City. Annual
per capita fire losses from 1980- 1984 are shown in Table 1.
________________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Belmont Vista Development, ( prepared by Jim
Hinzdel and Associates, Inc.), February 1985, page IV- 49.
7
TABLE 1
Fire Department Response Incidents -- 1980- 19841
Fires and
Miscellaneous
Incidents
Paramedic
Rescues
Total
Incidents Fire Loss Per Capita
Loss
1980
224 236 460 $ 112,300 $ 19.58
1981
179 320 499 $ 38,700 $ 6.59
1982
131 321 452 $ 162,100 $ 23.24
1983
94 337 431 $ 60,000 $ 8.17
1984
123 455 578 $ 107,100 $ 14.58
Average
150 334 484 $ 96,040 $ 14.43
______________
1 Los Angeles County Fire Department, Operations Bureau, Division IV, December 1985.
8
Industrial and Commercial Fire Hazards
Commercial land use encompasses about 7 percent of the total land area ( see Land Use
Element). Of particular concern in dealing with commercial fires are high- rise, multiple- use
buildings. For new construction, the Uniform Building Code provides that special fire
preventive measures, such as sprinklers, be employed in buildings with floors for human
occupancy more than 75 feet above the lowest level of Fire Department access. In
addition, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reviews and approves plans for most
new construction projects prior to building permit issuance.
Older buildings are often a greater fire risk than is new construction. One- third of all the
commercial property in the City is of pre- 1940 construction, since it is spread fairly evenly
throughout the City, the fire hazard potential is minimal.
Industrial property within the City accounts for 23 percent of the land area. The greatest
number of industrial fires results from the materials used or produced in the manufacture
of flammable and combustible products, such as petroleum. Storage of such flammable
and combustible materials increases the potential for fire and explosion. Oil refinement
and storage represent a major industry in the City, and the numerous oil wells, refining
facilities, and storage tank farms are a potential threat to public safety. Close proximity of
other industrial, commercial and residential land uses increases the possible danger. At
present, there are approximately 600 producing oil wells, storage facilities capable of
holding 2,000,000 barrels of flammable liquid ranging from raw crude oil to highly
flammable gases and liquids and an estimated 1,000 miles of underground piping used for
transference of these liquids and gases. Adjacent to the northeastern City boundary, south
of the San Diego Freeway, are the Long Beach Gas Department's natural gas storage
tanks with a capacity of 10,000,000 cubic feet.
Refineries and storage facilities typically maintain onsite fire suppression equipment and
detailed facility plans should an emergency occur. Non- floating top ( fixed- roof) tanks are
equipped with automatic foam units and all storage areas must be properly diked. In the
event of a major oil fire, the company employees are to be capable of using the
suppression equipment provided by the facility until fire department equipment arrives.
Most existing producing wells pose only a minor to moderate fire hazard. The most likely
cause of an oil well fire is from pumps overheating due to mechanical failures. A more
remote possibility is a fire started by a carelessly dropped cigarette or match. These facts
are supported by the mixed responses by the surveyed communities1 to potential fire or
blowout hazards. Water flood projects in Signal Hill, in particular, have reduced formation
pressures. As a result, gas and oil are in a mixture form, with high water content ( in some
cases approaching 99 percent). Required blowout prevention equipment, along with the
high water content, has significantly reduced potential hazards. In fact, the local office of
the Division of Oil and Gas could not recall a recent blowout or well fire in Signal Hill.
_______________
1 See City of Signal Hill, Oil Production Activities, Page 20, 30 & Appendix B.
9
More serious fire hazards and explosion hazards include the following: crude storage
tanks at well sites and in tank farms in the City; refineries and sites where blending of oil
products and gasoline occur; and high- pressure lines containing natural gas, gasoline,
naptha or other refined products. A crude oil pipeline rarely poses a danger of explosion or
fire unless high gravity crude is involved. The greatest potential hazard, however, is
represented by large natural gas mains owned by Long Beach Gas Company and
Southern California Gas Company. If major ruptures occur and weather conditions are
correct, an entire block could be engulfed with natural gas before igniting.
Residential Fire Hazards
Residential fires are usually confined to single buildings, although there is a danger of
adjacent structures catching fire. Homes with untreated wood shingle and asphalt shingle
roofs, scattered throughout the residential areas of the City, are particularly susceptible.
The City has a number of pre- 1940 homes, although owner- upgrading and maintenance
have kept the majority in good condition. The fire department is prohibited by legal
restrictions from making inspections of single- family homes, except under special
circumstances.
Multiple- family residential structures pose a variety of problems. The large concentration
of people increases the possibility of careless and hazardous activity. In addition,
structural and design characteristics often make emergency response more difficult and
intensify disaster potential. The numerous two- and three- story apartments and
condominiums within the City are primarily of modern construction and good condition.
Personnel and Organization
The City of Signal Hill receives fire protection services from the Los Angeles County
Consolidated Fire Protection District. The only county fire station for the City was
completed in 1973 and is located at the southeast corner of 27th Street and Raymond
Avenue. The station is a part of Battalion 7, Division 1, and houses one engine company
( No. 154), which has a 1,250 gallon per minute ( gpm) pumper. Manning at the station on a
24- hour basis consists of three firemen at all times: a captain, a firefighter specialist and a
firefighter, all certified as emergency medical technicians. The estimated response time for
any emergency call within City limits is 3 minutes.
Other companies, special equipment, manpower and chief officers from the other 125
stations of the Consolidated Fire Protection Districts of Los Angeles County are also
available for service in Signal Hill. For first- alarm fires in Signal Hill, initially, four engine
companies ( including Station 154), one ladder truck company from Long Beach, a
battalion chief, and a paramedic squad from Lakewood will respond. Additional engine
and truck companies will respond for second- and third- alarm fires. 1
_____________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Belmont Vista Development, ( prepared by Jim
Hinzdel and Associates, Inc.) February 1985, page IV- 36.
10
The station's normal response priority is to respond to calls as they come in. In unusual
and disaster situations, the station will respond based on orders from Battalion
headquarters.
The Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County is part of the statewide
Master Mutual Aid System administered through the Office of Emergency Services of the
State of California. Los Angeles County is part of Region 1, which includes five other
counties, and may rely on needed technicians and equipment from other Regions within
the state, once local resources have been exhausted. In addition, the Consolidated Fire
Protection District of Los Angeles County also has a specific mutual aid agreement with
the City of Long Beach Fire Department.
In addition to fighting fires and responding to medical and safety emergencies, Station 154
is also responsible for conducting fire safety inspections, public fire prevention courses
and other community services. Fire safety inspections of commercial businesses are
conducted once a year, whereas inspections of heavy industries and oil facilities take
place three to four times a year. The fire department is also responsible for carrying out
teaching programs designed to educate community members of all ages about fire and
safety hazards, fire prevention and proper responses to fires when hazards do occur.
Finally, the department keeps the public informed regarding the latest fire prevention news
and safety procedures and maintains a communication link between the community and
the department. These additional services are a vital component of a successful fire
prevention program that can eliminate or reduce danger to public safety and
property. 1
Fire Protection
Insurance Services Offices, Inc. ( I. S. O.), provides the basis for grading municipal fire
protection systems. This information is used by fire insurance underwriters to determine
fire insurance rates within any location.
In determining a city's fire protection rating, the I. S. O. evaluates various factors significant
in terms of community safety ( see Table 2). The most recent municipal rating of Signal Hill
was in 1974; an update is scheduled for 1987. Water supply and structural conditions
collected the greatest number of deficiency points. An I. S. O. rating as third or fourth class
is the average for small cities in Southern California.
_______________
1 Telephone interview with Aubry Ferris, fire fighting engineer, City of Signal Hill Fire Department, August
1985.
11
TABLE 2
Fire Rating Survey for Signal Hill – 19741
Relative
Values
Points of
Deficiency
% of
Rel. Value
% of Total
Deficiency
Water Supply
1700 591 35% 30%
Fire Department
1500 299 20% 15%
Fire Alarm
550 357 65% 18%
Fire Prevention
350 122 35% 6%
Building Department
200 66 33% 3%
Structural Conditions
700 433 62% 22%
Additional Deficiencies
126 6%
Total Deficiency
5000 1994 100
Class 4th
________________
1 Insurance Services Office, Municipal Survey, June 1974
12
NOTE: THE CLASS OF A MUNICIPALITY IS BASED ON A TOTAL MAXIMUM OF 5,000
POINTS OF DEFICIENCY AS FOLLOWS:
1st Class 0 – 500 Points
2nd Class 501 – 1000 Points
3rd Class 1001 – 1500 Points
4th Class 1501 – 2000 Points
5th Class 2001 – 2500 Points
6th Class 2501 – 3000 Points
7th Class 3001 – 3500 Points
8th Class 3501 – 4000 Points
9th Class 4001 – 4500 Points ( or a water supply rating of 1700 or a fire
department rating of 1500 deficiency points)
10th Class Over 4500 Points ( or no water supply or no fire protection)
Signal Hill fire flow requirements are shown in Table 3, although certain areas of the City
may require fire flow in excess of those designated. Large industrial or commercial
developments' fire flow must be considered relative to the project size. For emergencies, it
is necessary for public water systems and storage facilities to simultaneously supply
domestic needs, required fire flow to hydrants and an adequate water reserve. The
highest anticipated fire flow is 5,000 gallons per minute.
The Signal Hill water system, like most municipal water supplies in Southern California,
utilizes both groundwater and imported water supplies. The City produces water from two
wells located north of the City limits in Long Beach and imports water from the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Two additional wells are under
construction in Long Beach. Water is stored in reservoirs in the City ( see Circulation and
Infrastructure Element). Interconnections with the City of Long Beach Water Department
are available for emergency supplies. It is recommended that a storage volume equal to
the supply requirements for a maximum day's demand be provided. This emergency
storage amounts to approximately 8.3 million gallons, plus 1.5 million gallons for fire flow
or 9.8 million gallons. This volume requirement necessitated the proposal for a new 5-
million gallon tank atop the Hill. Once constructed, this may reduce the I. S. O. deficiency
and upgrade the class rating.
13
TABLE 3
Fire Flow Requirements1
Fire Flow
Land Use Classification Requirement
( GPM)
Duration
( Hours)
Hydrant
Spacing
( Ft.)
New Construction, Plan Stage
Low Density, Residential, ( R- 1) 1250 2 600
Low Density, Residential, ( R- 2) 1500 2 600
All other ( including multiple,
family, commercial, industrial,
public, schools, etc) based on
lot size as follows:
Under 10,000 square feet 1500 2 300
10,000 - 19,999 2000 2 300
20,000 - 29,999 2500 2 300
30,000 - 39,999 3000 3 300
40,000 - 49,999 3500 3 300
50,000 - 59,999 4000 4 300
60,000 - 69,999 4500 4 300
70,000 - and over 5000 5 300
Must have 20 psi residual
pressure in lines
_______________
1 Interview with Jerry Peskett, Los Angeles County Fire Department, December 1985.
14
Notes:
Fire flow requirements are based on details of construction, siting, surrounding uses, and
other risk factors. The range of required flows is 2,000 gpm for 2 hours to 5000 gpm for
five hours. Beginning with a basic requirement of 1,000 gpm, modifications are possible as
listed below:
a. For each story above ground level, add 500 gpm.
b. For each “ exposure” within 50 feet, add 500 gpm. “ Exposure” includes
property lines, other buildings, or similar risks. For each hazardous
occupancy, add 1,000 gpm.
c. Credits of up to 25% reduction in requirements for type III or better
construction, sprinkler systems and similar fire prevention measures are
available.
3. Crime
The City of Signal Hill maintains a municipal police department that is responsible for law
enforcement and is available for emergency and rescue operations within the City.
The Signal Hill Police Department maintains the following personnel: a police chief, 2
police lieutenants, 6 sergeants, 19 sworn officers, 6 reserve officers and 10 civilian
employees. The department provides security and rescue services to the City and
receives approximately 1,000 calls per month, with the p. m. swing shift ( e. g., 2: 30 p. m. to
10: 30 p. m.) receiving more calls than any other shift. The estimated response time to any
location within the City is 3 minutes.
There is a minimum of 3 patrol officers and 1 supervising officer on duty during each of the
3 shifts operating within a 24- hour period. Aside from the patrol officers on duty, there are
also 2 detectives, 1 detective sergeant, and 1 detective/ crime prevention officer available
for service to the community.
Strictly comparable staffing figures for similar jurisdictions are not easily available. The
Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training of California has published data
on officer/ population ratio. For 35 cities in the 25,000 to 35,000 population range, there is
a ratio of 1 officer for 637 persons in the service population. For 10 local South Bay cities,
the ratio is 1 officer for 586 persons. It should be noted that these gross comparisons do
not account for local conditions, policies, or service philosophies. The City of El Segundo,
for instance, has a ratio of 230 persons per officer, whereas the City of Downey has a ratio
of 711.
With the increase demand for services during the day, the Signal Hill Police Department
may enlist the help of the Long Beach Police Department. A mutual aid agreement with
the City of Long Beach establishes a reciprocal law enforcement status between the two
cities. The Signal Hill Police Department also participates in a statewide mutual aid
program. Assistance from the Long Beach Police Department, when needed, is often
15
adequate to the support Signal Hill’s law enforcement needs; however, if additional
assistance is needed, the City of Signal Hill may call upon the services of the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Since the capabilities of the Police Department could be limited by available manpower,
facilities, and equipment, citizen participation in crime prevention is invaluable. Residents
are encouraged to become active defenders against crime in their community through
participation in police- operated programs. Such educational and citizen participation
programs are offered by the Signal Hill Police Department as a means of limiting
opportunities for crime within the community. Personal safety demonstrations and
neighborhood watch programs are available to community residents to increase
awareness of strangers and possible violators. 1
4. Hazardous and Toxic Materials
Several industries operate within the City of Signal Hill using hazardous materials and/ or
procedures. Of major concern to the safety of Signal Hill residents is the extraction,
transport and storage of crude oil and petroleum products ( see Figure 1, Hazardous
Materials). Other potentially hazardous industries include paint manufacturing, plastics
processing, leather dyeing operations, and battery repair centers. There is also a
company that combines crude oil and chemicals to create a tar- like material for
construction, a corporation specializing in electronic plating of paint to create a special
insulation, one company that uses sulphuric acid to purify water and a metal- galvanizing
plant. All these manufacturers use or produce some type of toxic material hazardous to
human health.
The City has adopted the Sanitary Sewer and Industrial Waste Code of Los Angeles
County by reference. This code covers the handling and treatment of hazardous and toxic
material released into the City's sewer system.
Oil Recovery
Oil recovery, storage and transmission are highly regulated in Signal Hill. Federal, state
and local statutes and ordinances cover design criteria, operations, periodic testing and
inspection, maintenance, permit procedures, control of spills, abandonment procedures,
soundproofing and similar elements of community concern. 2
________________
1 A major portion of the information contained in this crime section was derived from a telephone interview
with Michael McCrary, Chief of Police, City of Signal Hill Police Department, August 1985.
2 Oil Production Activities in the City of Signal Hill – A Policy Direction, City of Signal Hill, July 1983, Pages
11- 20. Unless otherwise specified, information in this section was obtained from the cited report.
16
17
Oil recovery hazards are of concern in the City of Signal Hill, due to the number of
abandoned wells and oil sumps and pits throughout the City that may have been
improperly backfilled. No wells have been improperly abandoned since 1965, due to
stringent City and state requirements. The State Division of Oil and Gas and the City
require proper abandonment and restoration of these sites.
The City requires a soils and foundation investigation on nearly every new structure built,
with special attention given to any potential development site within an oil field. The City is
presently requiring the venting of properly abandoned wells over which buildings will be
placed. The Division of Oil and Gas is now recommending this procedure throughout
California.
Oil and gas withdrawal may create a condition of subsidence, the gradual settling or
sinking of the earth's surface with little or no horizontal motion. This sinking had been
experienced in the nearby Wilmington Oil Fields of Long Beach, but re- pressurization has
stopped the subsidence. To date, the level of subsidence within Signal Hill has been
insignificant.
Secondary oil recovery methods, including a water- flooding program, complicates the
geologic hazards identified in the Seismic Safety Element. Low- energy seismic events
could be induced by water injection of oil extraction areas, although such an occurrence is
considered remote.
Hazards are always present from the periodic maintenance operations of oil wells, which
are typically conducted once or twice a year. These operations require portable derricks
that range from 85 to 100 feet in height. Although rare, there is always the possibility that
a derrick could collapse onto an adjacent structure.
Petroleum Storage
Besides oil extraction, processing and storage of crude oil and petroleum products is a
major industry in Signal Hill. There are three major oil storage facilities in the City: the
Edgington Oil Company facility on Hathaway Avenue; the Signal Hill Terminal facility on
Spring Street; and the Shell terminal facility on Redondo Avenue ( see Figure 1).
Recyclable Class I hazardous wastes resulting from oil production activities are
transported to various holding facilities outside the City of Signal Hill where they are stored
before being treated and transformed into sources of renewable energy. Class I
hazardous wastes, which are non- recyclable, are transported to state- approved waste
disposal sites located either in Santa Barbara County or KettIeman City, California.
18
The oil companies in the City plan to continue oil extraction activities through secondary
recovery methods beyond the year 2000; however, since both the Santa Barbara County1
and Kettleman City hazardous waste disposal facilities are expected reach capacity by the
year 2000, the oil companies must search for new locations to store these non- recyclable
toxic wastes. The City is working with others to investigate sites that are non-contaminating
to both human life and natural environmental resources. 2
The storage of large quantities of crude oil, but more particularly the storage of refined
petroleum products, requires onsite precautionary measures to maximize the safety of
such facilities. The consolidated Fire Protection Districts of Los Angeles County regulate
the storage of all flammable liquids, including crude oil. The City of Signal Hill requires a
conditional use permit for storage facilities. All oil- related activities are also regulated by
the Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
To reduce the possibility of fire, explosion or other catastrophe, the Fire Code regulates
the location of all storage tanks. This includes the spacing between tanks, the types of
foundations and supports, drainage facilities, dikes, walls and fire- fighting equipment and
safety standards. Even with the best of regulations, extremely hazardous areas should be
isolated from the public by utilizing techniques such as land use controls.
Hazardous situations are greatest in oil storage areas if any of the following conditions
exist:
1. Size of the storage facility is large ( over 10,000 bbl. capacity)
2. Specific gravity of the oil stored is over approximately 25 degrees API.
3. Storage is in pressurized tanks ( such as LPG).
4. There is inadequate diking in the containment areas.
5. There is a lack of proper fire- fighting equipment within the storage area.
6. Storage is in un- pressurized tanks or non- vacuum sealed tanks.
__________________
1 The Santa Barbara County facility is at the time of this writing ( February 1986) the center of some
controversy. Its future availability is doubtful.
2 Telephone interview with Oliver H. Covall, City of Signal Hill, oil field superintendent.
19
In the event of a major petroleum accident involving a nominal- sized tank containing
50,000 barrels of light crude, damaging results can be expected.
Some of the following effects could result from a tank rupture and subsequent fire,
whereas others could occur if a vapor- air mixture in the tank resulted in an explosion:
Maximal Radii
From
Petroleum
Tank
Adverse Affect
200 ft.
Severe structural damage from heat generated by burning fuel in the
containment area.
275 ft
Major structural damage from blast overpressure.
375 ft.
Personal injury resulting from heat exposure.
420 ft.
General structural damage to buildings, automobiles and rupture of other
tanks caused by heat radiation
550 ft.
Personal injury from blast overpressure ( distance at which eardrums
rupture)
1,500 ft.
Damage to property and injury from flying debris ( explosion).
In Signal Hill, there are oil storage facilities of extremely large capacity., the Edgington Oil
Company facility on Hathaway Avenue ( 1.2 million bbls.) and the Signal Hill Terminal
facility on Spring Street ( approximately 0.5 million bbls.). Both storage tank farms are
protected by large diked areas and their own fire- fighting equipment.
Storage of oil with high gasoline content presents another potential hazard if the facility
lacks an approved gas recovery system. As the specific gravity of crude oil increases
beyond 25 degrees API, it contains an increasing volume of gasoline vapors, making it
extremely volatile. Approximately 15 percent of the oil produced in Signal Hill has a
specific gravity above 25 degrees API. The majority of the oil is around 20 to 22 degrees
API, the highest being 32 degrees API.
Natural gas is stored in pressurized tanks adjacent to the City boundary near the San
Diego Freeway between Temple and Junipero Avenues by the Long Beach Gas
Department. Also, in the City of Long Beach, Petrolane/ Lomita Gas stores butane and
small quantities of casing head gas at their plant on Orange Avenue and Spring Street. In
Signal Hill, two 750- barrel butane storage tanks are located at the Hathaway Tank Farm,
operated by Edgington Oil Company. These tanks will be protected by a water- spray
deluge system and will be separated from other equipment. A relatively large, clear area
must be maintained around such tanks in case of a leak or rupture.
20
All the large storage areas in Signal Hill have ample diked areas, gas recovery systems,
and their own fire- fighting facilities. Many of these safety precautions are self- regulated
due to compliance with requirements of insurance carriers and federal and state
regulations.
Petroleum Refining
A limited number of petroleum refining activities exist within the Signal Hill City limits. The
oldest facility is the MacMillan Refinery at 2105 Walnut Avenue. MacMillan produces a
variety of products, including, gasoline, motor oil and kerosene. Because of MacMillan's
proximity to offices, residences and the Signal Hill Elementary School, any expansion of
the refinery should be viewed with reservation and concern for surrounding land uses.
In the industrialized area along 29th Street between Walnut and Gardena Avenues, two
refiners are located. McAuley Oil Company operates a small dehydration plant at 1835
East 29th Street. The heating capability of this plant is quite limited and, consequently, the
primary activity involves removing water from crude oil.
Eco Petroleum Refinery is located at 1840 East 29th Street. This topping facility produces
marine fuel oil, naptha, diesel fuel and asphalt. The plant can process approximately
14,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Refining facilities are governed by various air quality management agencies. They are
also periodically inspected by the Los Angeles County Fire Department to ensure
maintenance of onsite fire preventive equipment. Any expansion or introduction of refining
operations requires environmental review and issuance of a conditional use permit by the
City.
Transport of Hazardous Materials
A. Underground Pipelines
The extraction, processing and storage of crude oil and petroleum products within Signal
Hill requires a complex network of transportation links for moving these materials. The
bulk of material is shipped via underground pipelines. Because of the development of oil in
Signal Hill and its location close to major producers, refiners and storage facilities in Long
Beach, Carson, Wilmington, and other jurisdictions, Signal Hill is honeycombed with
pipelines. The principal pipeline routes include: Cherry, Orange, Temple, California and
Walnut avenues; and Spring, 29th, 28th, and Willow streets.
All owners of active pipelines within City right- of- way are required to obtain franchises
issued by the City Council. The franchise requires a rental payment based on length and
pipe diameter. It also establishes procedures for abandonment and transfer of lines.
Although this procedure governs most active lines, the rapid development of oil in the City
21
left numerous pipelines in uncharted locations. Most of these lines are unmapped, inactive
and unclaimed.
Within any area of the City where oil operations once existed, excavation on private
property or in the public rights- of- way can be expected to unearth unknown pipelines.
Aside from privately- borne cost to remove such lines on private property, City public works
improvement projects consistently experience unforeseen eats from pipeline removal or
necessary rerouting.
Although pipeline transport is the safest method for shipping petroleum products, pipeline
failure may occur. The risk posed to the public from pipeline rupture varies with the type of
material in the pipeline. A crude oil leak, for example, poses minimal danger of explosion
or fire unless clean, high- gravity crude oil is involved. The known pipelines in the City
transport oil, gas and water. The risk of fire or explosion posed to the public from this
material is considered to be very low.
There is also a potential risk that pipeline rupture and resultant leakage would create an
oil spill and environmental degradation. Should this occur in Signal Hill, the responsible
company would have no means of detection until the oil actually rose to the surface.
Ruptures and resultant leakage have three possible causes:
1. Corrosion of the steel pipes. Materials transported in pipelines in the City are not
corrosive, and the risk of corrosive leakage is not considered significant.
2. Rupture as a result of ground displacement during an earthquake. Moderate
earthquakes are not generally considered significant hazards to steel pipelines,
although the age and condition of the line and the force of the earthquake are
important considerations.
3. Accidental rupture during site grading. This is the most likely cause in Signal Hill.
Pipeline leaks or ruptures are of major concern to most cities with active oil production
facilities. Most leaks or ruptures are small and are normally contained within a well site.
Some spills can affect public rights- of- way and drain into flood control channels through
the storm drain system. In Signal Hill, when leaks or ruptures occur, there is generally no
means of detection until the oil actually rises to the surface. By that time, significant
environmental degradation may have occurred.
When a leak is discovered, it is reported to the Police Department and to the emergency
call system called " Wheel." Its location is indicated and Wheel notifies three oil companies
on its alert call system who, in turn, call three oil firms each, and so on. Each party
receiving the call checks their pipeline map to see if they have a line in that vicinity. If they
do not, they do not respond.
22
Ordinarily, the police department is responsible for traffic control, keeping autos and trucks
out of the spill area. Depending on the nature of the spilled material, its probability of
containment and where it is likely to end up before it can be contained, a number of
agencies must be notified. The responsible oil company must notify one or more of the
following agencies: Los Angeles County Flood Control District, the Office of Emergency
Services, the State Department of Oil and Gas, the Regional Water Quality Control Board,
the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and/ or the State Department of
Agriculture. These agencies may supervise details of cleanup and disposal and file
required reports.
The City's principal goal is to have cleanup and repairs begun as soon as possible to
minimize damage to the environment and limit hazard to traffic and property. Ideally, the
first oil company on the scene should begin cleanup and repairs. The difficulty is that it
may not be their structure that is leaking-- at some locations in the City there are upwards
of 10 or more different transmission lines under City streets. The company might then be
left with a cost they could not recover. In numerous situations, ownership of the structure
could not be determined, and the City has had to shoulder clean- up costs.
A second problem relates to the disposal of the waste from the leak or rupture. Current
regulations require that it be disposed of in a Class I hazardous waste facility. Costs of
transporting these wastes to such facilities are high and are expected to rise in the future.
B. Surface Transport
Transportation of hazardous materials is controlled by the State Parcel Carrying
Commission and the Interstate Commerce Commission. Vehicles containing certain
hazardous products are required by state law to log in at departure and arrival and follow
designated routes. Within the City of Signal Hill, truck routes are designated by resolution
of the City Council ( see Circulation and Infrastructure Element).
Spills of Hazardous Materials
Mitigation of the hazardous effects of toxic spills is handled by a number of local, regional,
state and federal agencies. Because of the large oil recovery operations, the City staff
includes an oil field inspector responsible for locating oil and other toxic hazards and when
spills occur, identifying the chemicals involved and notifying the appropriate authorities.
For major spills, the Department of Fish and Game, the Environmental Protection Agency,
the United States Coast Guard, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California
Division of Oil and Gas, the State Office of Emergency Services, the Los Angeles County
Flood Control District and the County Engineer must all be notified. The City must report
any incident or situation that could cause a pollutant to enter surface or groundwaters.
This includes all spills of pollutants to the ground that, by gravity or other means, will flow
or be flushed to the street and eventually to a storm drain, or river, that goes to the ocean.
These systems carry their water flow without treatment and pollutants must, if at all
possible, be removed. The Flood Control District will provide access to, and assist in the
23
tracing, containment and removal of water pollutants in the system. The Police
Department and Public Works Department maintains the list of agencies to be called in
the event of an oil spill and will make the requisite calls in an emergency.
Other Hazardous Materials
Aside from oil- related operations, a number of other industries utilize or manufacture
products are considered hazardous. One agency regulating many industries that produce
noxious odors and/ or toxic fumes is the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Some activities, such as roofing, which uses heated tar, and asphalt paving of streets,
emit toxic fumes but remain largely unregulated.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department regulates the amount of hazardous chemicals
stored at any one location, as well as the adequacy of available fire protection. Disposal of
industrial wastes requires a permit issued through the City for the County Sanitation
District of Los Angeles County.
Local regulatory mechanisms for governing industries using hazardous materials include
zoning requirements of the Signal Hill Municipal Code and business license inspections.
The Building Department inspects facilities for structural compatibility with any proposed
use before issuing business licenses.
B. Seismic Safety
1. Geologic Hazards
Regional Fault Zones: Damages incurred in Signal Hill from any earthquake activity are, in
part, a result of underlying geology, proximity to faults and type of local faults. The Signal
Hill area is composed primarily of a broad, slightly elevated marine terrace that is
underlain by over 15,000 feet of stratified sedimentary rocks of marine origin. This marine
section is composed of interbedded units of sandstone, siltstone and shale ranging in age
from Miocene ( approximately 7 million years old) to late Pleistocene ( approximately 2
million years old). Regional uplift, along with some local folding and faulting, has raised
portions of the City area to its present elevation above sea level and the Hill to its height of
365 feet. There are several significant regional faults and fault zones that do not pass
through the City, but that could have significant ground shaking effects. These are
displayed in Figure 2, along with epicenter locations for a number of the more significant
historic earthquakes.
The most prominent fault feature in this category is the San Andreas, a major strike- slip
feature that passes about 44 miles northeast of the general study area, and is recognized
as being capable of Richter- Magnitude 8.0+ earthquakes. The San Fernando fault was the
source of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in 1971, which was felt throughout the Los Angeles
basin.
24
Other major active faults and associated Richter Magnitudes of historic earthquakes with
the faults in the vicinity include the Whittier- Elsinore Zone, 15 miles to the northeast, 5.0;
the Sierra Madre Zone, 21 miles to the north, 6.4; and the Norwalk Fault, 4 miles to the
northeast, 5.0.
Local Seismicity
Earthquake history has shown that the most likely place for fault movement to occur is on
an existing fault. Major active faults represent the most likely location for future fault
rupture. The Newport- Inglewood Fault System cuts diagonally across the marine terrace
in Signal Hill. It is the most significant seismic feature in the Signal Hill area and is
considered seismically active. The 1933 Long Beach earthquake resulted from activity
along this fault ( see Figure 2 for epicenter location). Several other faults are traceable in
the subsurface within the City and vary in potential activity ( see Figure 3, Geologic and
Slope Hazards). Earthquakes associated with this fault system will not necessarily cause
surface rupture; however, if fault movement were to occur, such movement would be
expected to cause severe damage to overlying structures and would most probably
interrupt the majority of utilities and services that cross the displacement.
The Newport- Inglewood Fault System is a nearly linear alignment of faults and folds
extending 45 miles along the southwestern side of the Los Angeles basin. It can be traced
as a series of topographic hills, ridges and mesas from the Santa Monica Mountains to
Newport Beach, where it trends offshore. Structures along the zone of deformation act as
groundwater barriers and, at greater depths, as petroleum traps. Continuing seismic
activity has been evidenced most prominently in recent times by the 1920 Inglewood and
1933 Long Beach earthquakes. 1
Since the Newport- Inglewood Fault system is a potentially active fault trace of the San
Andreas Fault, it has been designated by the Alquist- Priolo Geologic Hazards Zones Act
as a Special Studies Zone. The intent of this act is to protect public safety from the hazard
of fault rupture by avoiding, to the extent possible, the construction of structures for human
occupancy astride hazardous faults. The precise location and identification of hazardous
faults within or near a zone of potentially active faults can be determined only through
detailed geologic investigations. Thus, this Act establishes the concept of a Special
Studies Zone— an area of limited extent centered on recognized faults. The zone
boundaries identify those areas that the State Geologist believes warrants special
geologic investigations to detect the presence or absence of hazardous faults.
______________
1 The Long Beach earthquake was magnitude 6.3, and was centered 3.5 miles offshore, southwest of
Newport Beach.
25
26
The effect of the Special Studies Zone designation is to require that developers of projects
within the identified zone supply a report prepared by a registered geologist, indicating
whether the project is underlain by an " active" or " potentially active" fault trace. If no such
fault trace exists constraints on private development are not generally imposed ( other than
to ensure that the building be designed to withstand ground shaking). If a fault trace is
discovered, specific building setbacks from the identified trace location must be
maintained. To date, no fault traces have been discovered in Signal Hill.
Active or potentially active faults within the Newport- lnglewood Special Studies Zone in
Signal Hill include the Cherry Hill Fault, the Northeast Flank Fault, Pickler Fault and the
Reservoir Hill Fault ( see Figure 3). These faults are associated with the anticline that
forms Signal and Reservoir Hills. Extensive petroleum and groundwater exploration have
delineated these faults in the subsurface. Surface expression of the faults is generally
limited to weathered scarps that form the flanks of the hills. No ground displacement
( surface rupture) has been observed along the faults of the Newport- Inglewood Zone in
recent geologic times ( last 10,000 years).
The Marine and Wardlow- Airport Faults are traceable only in the subsurface and are not
considered potentially active, although they may be associated with the Newport-
Inglewood Fault System.
Groundshaking: Groundshaking is the description given to the ground surface vibrations
resulting from an earthquake. It is most severe near the source of energy release and/ or
ground displacement and becomes weaker further from the earthquake. However,
groundshaking can be significant and could cause structural damage up to distances of
100 miles or more.
Groundshaking can affect very large areas ( up to 50,000 square miles or more) due to an
earthquake of significant magnitude and is usually the greatest cause of damage,
especially in urban areas. Structures of all types are susceptible to groundshaking, and
most deaths resulting from earthquakes historically are a result of structural failure due to
groundshaking.
The main variable factors that determine the extent of damage caused by
groundshaking vibrations are:
1. Type of soil.
2. Earthquake design of structure.
3. Quality of materials and construction.
4. Intensity and duration of groundshaking.
There is significant evidence to indicate that the soil beneath a site influences the
earthquake groundshaking characteristics at that site. However, the soil influence partly
27
depends on the nature of the earthquake and the response of ( and therefore, damage to)
any structure depends on the characteristics of the structure, soil profile and earthquake.
Evidence exists from recent earthquakes ( Seed, Whitman, et al., 1971; Seed and Idriss
1971), as well as the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake ( Martel 1933), that certain
earthquake/ structure combinations can result in greater structure damage in stiff soils.
Such a combination could result from an earthquake and structure with approximately the
same characteristics responding to a nearby earthquake with the same predominant
period of vibration.
Slope Instability: Slope instability during earthquakes can be an important aspect of
seismic ground failure. This is most often manifested as landslides. The areas most
susceptible to this condition are those where:
a. Slopes are greater than 2: 1 horizontal to vertical.
b. Soils or soil lenses are weak, cohesionless, or not cemented.
c. Bedding dips out of the slope.
d. Groundwater is present.
Landslides are described as the ultimate manifestation of unstable slopes, and are
sudden, relatively rapid downslope movements of soil, rock and debris as a mass. The
rate of downslope movement of earth material ranges from miles per hour, in the case of
mudflows, to rates measurable in inches per month or year or less, in the case of soil
creep. The rate of advance is a function of several factors, including:
o Degree of fluid saturation.
o Shear strength of the earth materials.
o Slope morphology.
o Mass and thickness of the deposit.
o Mode of detachment.
o Type and extent of vegetative cover.
Due to the severe slope of Signal Hill and the high seismic hazard potential, the
topography of the Hill and the condition of the soils present an important issue to public
safety. Although the soils of Signal Hill, which are characterized primarily by sand, silt and
clay deposits, are considered to be a sound foundation for buildings and development, the
possibility of a geologic hazard always exists. The slope north of Panorama Drive and
south of 23rd Street and Stanley Avenue represents the steepest incline in the City ( see
Figure 3).
28
Appropriate planning and prudent design are required to decrease the danger and
possibility of a severe slope hazard, without excessive cost.
Liquefaction: Liquefaction is the phenomenon in which soils become fluid ( lose all shear
strength) for short periods during an earthquake. It results from shaking of sands and silts
that are lacking in cohesion, packed loose to medium dense and saturated ( usually below
the groundwater table). During shaking, the sands tend to compact and thereby increase
the pressure in the water between the grains. If the shaking is of sufficient strength and
duration, grain- to- grain contact and, therefore, strength is lost instantaneously, and the
soil may become fluid and mobile.
Depending on other conditions such as density, ground slope and stratification, the
temporary loss of strength may result not only in surface sand and soils or cracks, but may
also lead to foundation failures, landslides and excessive subsidence.
Studies of recent earthquakes have concluded that some liquefaction has occurred in
every major earthquake observed around the world in the past 10 to 15 years. Other
studies have concluded that liquefaction has been associated with major earthquakes
throughout history.
To have a potential for liquefaction, three simultaneous conditions are necessary. These
are: ( a) generally cohesionless soils; ( b) high groundwater; and ( c) ground- shaking. All
three of these conditions are not expected simultaneously in the City of Signal Hill.
Accordingly, the potential for a seismically induced liquefaction hazard is considered slight
for the City.
Settlement: Settlement occurs when a large and heavy load is placed on a soil that suffers
from low density. This condition causes the soil to compact and the overlaying structure to
sink.
Settlement may also be induced beyond normal measures by strong seismic ground-shaking.
In saturated granular soils, water pressure between grains that is built up during
earthquakes may lead to settlement after the shaking has stopped and the pressure
reduces. Earthquake- induced settlement can also occur in dry or moist granular materials
simply as a result of shaking without any such water pressure buildup.
In general, the conditions necessary to produce settlement are similar to those needed for
liquefaction. Other than as discussed above in the section on oil recovery, the City of
Signal Hill does not possess areas susceptible to settlement; it is not considered a
significant geologic threat.
Tsunamis: A tsunami is a sea wave generated by a submarine earthquake, landslide or
volcanic action. Tsunamis travel across the ocean as powerful, long, but low waves. They
are typically 50 miles long and only 1 or 2 feet high. Traveling at almost 500 mph in the
Pacific, such a wave in the open ocean causes no problems, and, in fact, the slope of the
29
wave front may be imperceptible to a ship at sea. However, as the tsunami waves
approach the coastline, they are affected by shallow bottom topography and the
configuration of the coastline, which transforms the waves into very high and potentially
devastating waves. If large waves do not occur, strong currents can cause extensive
damage.
Although the California coastline has been struck by several significant tsunamis during
the past 40 years, a major tsunami caused by either of the above events is considered
extremely remote for the City of Signal Hill. Therefore, tsunamis are not serious threats to
life and property in Signal Hill.
2. Structural Hazards1
Seiches: A seiche is an earthquake- induced wave that can be generated in an enclosed
body of liquid of any size. In the past, seiches have most frequently been associated with
large bodies of water such as lakes and reservoirs, but they may also occur within other
bodies of liquid, such as an oil storage tank.
If an earthquake of a magnitude 6.5 or greater were to occur along the Newport-
Inglewood Fault system, it could create a major seiche hazard in water reservoirs and
many of the oil storage tanks located within Signal Hill City limits. If the ground- shaking
and resulting seiche were severe enough, it could cause the storage tanks to burst or
leak, thereby releasing its contents. Such an event could result in extensive structure
failure, economic loss and structure failure and hazard to public safety.
Flooding: Seismically induced flooding is primarily the result of insufficient water retaining
structures, tsunamis or seiches as described above. Flooding effects could result in
extensive economic loss in structurally damaged areas, but due to the elevated
topography of Signal Hill, flooding would be localized. In the event of a sieche occurring in
the Hilltop water tanks, proposed residential zones in the Hill area may be subject to some
degree of flooding. This would depend upon location in relation to topographic features.
Hazards should be mitigated in the City's site and plan development review procedures. In
addition, inspection programs, building codes and performance standards should also
address this potential hazard.
_______________
1 A major portion of the information presented in the structural hazards section was derived from: City of
Signal Hill, Seismic Safety Element of the General Plan, revised in November 1977; City of Signal Hill,
Seismic Safety Element prepared by Woodward- McNeill Associates), September 16, 1974.
30
Building: Ground- shaking will affect all structures; the partial or total collapse of structures
often results in death and injury to residents. The disaster may be compounded by
confusion and concurrent breakdown in life- essential services, such as public utilities,
water storage facilities, medical care and law enforcement. Because of their importance,
these facilities must be located in structures that are earthquake resistant. Moreover,
continual inspection and maintenance must be a part of any seismic safety and disaster
planning program.
One structure of immediate concern is an un- reinforced masonry building at Cherry
Avenue and 21st Street. This building should be subjected to hazard amelioration
programs. Currently used as a dry cleaners, it was identified as historically significant in
the citywide survey of historic structures.
Other structures worthy of special consideration for their relative seismic stability include
oil extraction sites and associated central processing facilities. Numerous residential
structures exist within the currently defined Alquist- Priolo Special Studies Zone, but are of
wood- frame type construction, which reacts most favorably when subjected to strong
ground- shaking. The numerous communication antennas located atop Signal Hill could
suffer sufficient damage to render them inoperative given severe earthquake conditions,
and should thus be subject to periodic inspection.
Roadways: Impediments to evacuation or post- disaster emergency vehicle access could
occur if surface streets are disrupted from surface rupture or clogged with fallen debris.
The Atlantic Avenue's interchange of the San Diego Freeway is susceptible to possible
earthquake damage because of its close proximity to the Cherry Hill Fault. Major
east/ west arterials subject to the same potentials include Spring Street, Willow Street and
Pacific Coast Highway; major north/ south arterials include Redondo, Cherry, Orange and
Atlantic Avenues. Both state and federal construction codes require that freeway
overpasses be of earthquake- resistive construction. A major quake, however, could
dislodge portions of the overpasses, posing serious danger to motorists and block traffic
flow, as evidenced by sections of the 1- 210 and I- 5 freeways collapse during the 1971
San Fernando earthquake.
Electrical: Signal Hill receives its electrical power from Southern California Edison and is
currently undergrounding electrical utility lines as funding is made available. Major
transmission and distribution lines are shown in the Circulation Element, Figure 2. Until
undergrounding is completed, the existing overhead wires could pose a significant hazard
during a major seismic event if they were to fall across streets and block the passage of
emergency vehicles or evacuating citizens. This is most critical on Spring Street, where
tank farms exist; Walnut, south of 28th; Willow, east of Junipero; and Redondo Avenue.
The broken lines could also ignite fires or explosions through sparking, as well as limit
power to emergency facilities. Downed power lines offer electrocution hazards as well as
disruption of power station and water utility facilities, posing a threat to fire fighting
capacities. A comprehensive plan to underground all electrical lines will reduce the
potential threat to public safety and welfare.
31
Petroleum: Major oil storage facilities and pipeline corridors traverse the City. These are
shown on Figure 1, Potential Hazardous Facilities. Although pipeline transport is the
safest method for shipping petroleum products, pipeline failure may occur. Pipelines could
be ruptured as a result of ground displacement during a major earthquake. If a pipeline
were to rupture as a result of severe seismic activity, the attendant damage could be
severe and lead to a major explosion and/ or fire.
Natural Gas: The City of Signal Hill, which receives its natural gas supply from the Long
Beach Gas Department, also possesses an extensive network of natural gas pipelines.
Like petroleum pipelines, pressurized natural gas lines are susceptible to damage
wherever they cross seismic fault lines.
The areas surrounding pipelines are also subject to potentially severe fire and explosion
hazards if the lines are ruptured in an earthquake. Even without fire or explosion, major
leakage from these pipelines could result in considerable damage and require extensive
and expensive cleanup. Potential hazards presented by gas pipelines within the City
require consideration in all disaster and emergency planning.
3. Seismic Response Areas
Signal Hill has been divided into smaller Seismic Response Areas ( SRA). These areas
reflect differences in the estimated potential for each seismic hazard. Dividing the City into
SRAs not only assists in identifying hazards, but also enhances the City's ability to
respond quickly and efficiently to emergencies. These hazards have been discussed
previously in this Safety Element; their potentials for occurring are summarized for each
SRA in Figure 4.
As shown in Figure 4, SRA " A" is the largest area and is most likely to suffer adverse
effects from potential hazards. The hazards most likely to occur in this area are fault
rupture, ground- shaking, and slope instability. SRA's “ B" and " C" are not likely to suffer
from fault rupture, but ground- shaking is highly likely. Slope instability possesses only a
moderate potential for occurring in these areas. SRA's " D", " E" and " F" contain a high
potential for ground- shaking; all other hazards have a remote possibility of occurring in
these areas.
Ground- shaking appears to be the most dangerous hazard for all of Signal Hill.
Liquefaction and settlement, flooding, and tsunami and seiche appear unlikely to occur
anywhere in the City. Fault rupture and slope instability maintain high potentials for
occurring in isolated areas, and only moderate- to- low potentials for the rest of the City.
4. Disaster Response
In accordance with state laws, the City of Signal Hill adopted ( July 1984) an emergency
plan that specifies how the City will respond should a major emergency occur. The
emergency plan is consistent and compatible with both the California Emergency Plan and
32
the Emergency Resources Management Plan. The City's emergency plan defines policies
and procedures to be followed in the event of a major fire or earthquake or a state of war.
To effectively and economically use material and manpower resources for the maximum
benefit of the civilian population in time of emergency, the plan:
1. Defines roles and responsibilities of City employees in an emergency.
2. Provides for the allocation of critical resources at such times
3. Establishes a basis for mutual aid between and among public agencies at such
times.
Its objectives are to:
1. Save lives and protect property.
2. Repair and restore essential systems and services.
3. Provide a basis for direction and control of emergency operations.
4. Provide for the protection, use and distribution of remaining resources.
5. Provide for the continuity of government.
6. Coordinate operations with the emergency service organizations of other
jurisdictions.
Specific methods of organization and detailed task assignments are included in the
emergency plan. Plans for contingent situations are included as well, to deal with lines of
succession, temporary seat of government, preservation or records, and similar concerns.
Preventive measures that the City may implement to thwart the possibility of a major
hazard are discussed in the plan, including emergency preparedness and public
awareness programs directed at informing and preparing residents for hazards.
During a major disaster, it is essential that certain services be provided and maintained.
Failure to provided these services may result in increased loss of life and property. Among
the services deemed most essential are communication, law enforcement and medical
care.
In December 1985, the City implemented one feature of the plan, the Emergency
Operations Center. Located in the Police Department Squad Room, it will become the
command center during states of emergency as defined by the California Emergency
Services Act, the Governor of California, or the Mayor or the Director of Emergency
Services of Signal Hill.
Communications: During a major disaster, such as an earthquake, access to
communication lines is vital to human life and safety. The importance of maintaining open
communication lines between emergency facilities within the City and outside the City is
obvious. Functioning communications systems can save lives and avoid large economic
losses.
33
34
Aside from maintaining open communication, it is also essential to maintain a functioning
transportation system and operational public utilities in order to implement the emergency
response plan properly. Without the benefits of fully functioning communications,
transportation and public utility lines, the City of Signal Hill may suffer great losses in an
emergency.
Law Enforcement: As the protectors of peace and human safety during non- disastrous
situations, the City of Signal Hill Police Department carries the added responsibility of
regulating peace in the aftermath of a major seismic event. Mutual aid arrangements
between the Signal Hill Police Department and the City of Long Beach Police Department,
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the U. S.
National Guard are available to provide needed assistance and service in a major
emergency. The degree and level of ass} stance may depend upon the scope of the
emergency.
Medical Care: Signal Hill is close to a number of health care facilities. Long Beach
Community Hospital at 1720 Termino Avenue, Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach at
2801 Atlantic Avenue, and Saint Mary Medical Center at 1050 Linden Avenue are the
three largest hospitals in the area and collectively provide over 1,500 general acute- care
hospital beds. Long Beach also supports the 1,200- bed Veteran's Administration Medical
Center on 5901 East 7th Street. Additional emergency medical services are provided by
several nearby 24- hour emergency centers and the local police and fire departments.
Beginning in mid- 1986, the Long Beach Comprehensive Health Care Center ( to be
operated by the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services) will be providing
ambulatory care services for the residents of Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach,
Signal Hill and Wilmington. The new health center will encompass all the services
previously provided at the Long Beach General Hospital including a full range of adult and
pediatric services, laboratory and radiology units. 1
It is not clear if these facilities will provide sufficient bed capacity in the event of a major
emergency. Nevertheless, as a coordinating device, the emergency plan provides the
basis upon which to plan for emergency medical services.
___________________
1 City of Signal Hill, Draft Environmental Impact Report for Long Beach Signal Hill Business Center
( prepared by Atlantis Scientific), March 15, 1985, page 4 to 27.
35
III. Needs, Issues and Constraints
A. Introduction
The City of Signal Hill is susceptible to several potential hazards. The impact of these
potential hazards, such as fires and seismic activities, can be devastating to both human
life and property. The early identification of a city's needs not only allows a city to prepare
for potential emergency, but also establishes the foundation for defining goals, formulating
policies and implementing programs aimed at minimizing the adverse effects of potential
hazards. The following identifies the City's needs for public safety, seismic safety and
emergency response.
B. Needs and Issues
The following discussion identifies major needs and issues with respect to public and
seismic safety.
o Seismic Hazards: Flooding and fire hazards, which might be present during a major
earthquake, are discussed below. Other earthquake- related hazards include
structural failure due to the effects of an earthquake. Major risks in Signal Hill exist
in Seismic Response Area " A", which is identical with the Alquist- Priolo Zone. The
City currently requires geological studies in this area, which are used in
development decisions and site review process. Needs include: ( a) development of
standards for grading and slope stabilization that would be responsive to expected
earthquake forces; ( b) continued enforcement of existing codes, ordinances and
inspection procedures, and updating to the state of the art as necessary; and ( c)
structural hazard reduction programs for non- reinforced masonry buildings and
other structures at high risk of damage in a major earthquake.
o Flooding: Flooding would occur under two relatively rare circumstances: a major
storm that overloaded drainage facilities, or an earthquake that ruptured water or oil
storage tanks through seiche. The latter situation requires two mitigating measures:
( a) continued maintenance and inspection of public and private storage tanks under
existing codes, ordinances and procedures; and ( b) site review of new development
to deal with drainage. Excess storm waters are not a significant problem, due to
topography in the City, and the existing system of facilities. Capital improvements
needed are discussed in the Circulation and Infrastructure Element.
o Fire: Fires may result from a number of causes: arson, carelessness and home and
industrial accidents, or from ignorance of proper procedures in home or industrial
repairs. Pre- 1940 structures are of relatively higher risk than newer structures. Of
particular importance in Signal Hill is the potential rupture of tanks and pipelines
carrying petroleum gases and products through earthquake, grading accidents or
corrosion. A compounding factor is the proximity of 66 KV electric power lines. A
break in such a line adjacent to oil or gas storage creates a high potential for fire or
explosion. To mitigate these potential hazards, the City needs: ( a) knowledge of the
36
locations of pipelines, their capacity and usual contents; ( b) continued enforcement
and enhancement of site review, inspections, maintenance and related
requirement; and ( c) public information programs. As noted in the Circulation and
Infrastructure Element, the City has planned a 5- million gallon reservoir atop the
Hill. This will increase fire flow availability and improve the ISO rating.
o Crime: Although crime is not a major problem in Signal Hill, there are a number of
needs ( primarily aimed at keeping criminal activity at a minimum): ( a) high visibility
in the Pacific Coast Highway area; ( b) continued citizen participation in crime
prevention; and ( c) continued public education and information programs.
o Hazardous and Toxic Materials: Because of the concentration of oil- related industry
in Signal Hill, these materials exist in large quantities. Although other hazardous
substances are present in industrial and commercial locations, they do not present
the degree of risk that petroleum products do. Codes, ordinances, inspection and
enforcement procedures are largely in place to deal with these hazards. Needs
include: ( a) continued enforcement of current codes, ordinances and procedures,
and updating them to the current state of the art as necessary; ( b) regional Class I
hazardous waste disposal sites to replace those located at Casmalia ( in Santa
Barbara County) and Kettlaman City ( in Kern County), for economic disposal of the
most hazardous and toxic wastes; ( c) reduction of public exposure to hazardous
areas and facilities as shown on the Hazardous Materials Map; and ( d) procedures
to define responsibility for repair and cleanup of hazardous, dangerous, or other
spilled materials, including cost allocation among companies and agencies for
cleanup involved.
o Disaster Response: The City has adopted an emergency plan that prescribes
disaster response. The plan sets a general framework and allocates responsibilities
to various actors. Most importantly, it establishes a basis for interagency
collaboration and mutual aid. Needs are: ( a) continued public education and
information about disaster preparedness and response, ( b) develop an agreement
with appropriate emergency medical service providers to serve Signal Hill residents
and workers in the event of a disaster, and ( c) definition of emergency evaluation
routes and procedures.
C. Constraints
As part of the planning process, the identification of barriers, or constraints, to City action
is necessary; not so much as a listing of what is impossible, but as a challenge to think
creatively about how to surmount the barrier. The following constraints have been
identified for the Safety Element:
o Prediction of occurrence and intensity of hazardous events. Current knowledge of
earthquakes and other seismic hazards does not permit us to predict the
occurrence, intensity, or effects of seismic activity. Similar constraints exist for
major storms and accidents. Statistical predictions are of some help. As a result,
37
most planning actions must be of a preventive nature. Some can be on a
contingent basis. In most eases, Signal Hill has carefully defined regulations,
inspection procedures and other " before- the- fact" measures. As knowledge of
these phenomena increases and is made available to the City, these measures can
be sharpened and focused.
o Unknown locations of pipelines. The City bas located and mapped an extremely
large number of pipelines, and more are being continually added to the inventory
record. However, previously unknown lines continue to be found and mapped.
This process will continue-- hopefully normal development and grading activities will
uncover such lines without damaging them.
o Rights attendant on private ownership of property. This constraint on government is
a fundamental one. It most often comes into focus in areas of oil field development
standards, accessibility for trucks and servicing equipment, nuisance and hazards
created for adjacent properties, development in areas of earthquake hazard and
slope instability and in the use and deployment of hazardous substances and toxic
wastes. The solution lies in the City's ability to set guidelines that can optimize
competing goals.
o Fiscal limitations. Although not unique to safety, fiscal constraints exist at every
level of government; Signal Hill is no exception. Land acquisition or banking for
open space or hazard mitigation, flood control improvements and similar cost items
must compete for scarce City dollars. To the extent possible, alternate funding
streams must be developed.
o Public commitment to preparedness. On many issues, the public is poorly informed
and not well motivated to prepare for potential hazards and disaster situations. This
lack of information and motivation leads to greater demands on the governmental
response in times of crisis. Public education and preparedness programs are
essential if the impacts of hazards and disasters are to be minimized or eliminated.
o Multiple Jurisdictions. A large number of agencies have jurisdiction over safety
issues in Signal Hill. As mentioned earlier, 8 or 10 different agencies are involved in
toxic/ dangerous material spills, depending upon location, extent and characteristics
of the material itself. Similar conditions obtain for disaster response situations,
although the City's Emergency Response Plan provides a vehicle to define
responsibilities. The problem is repeated with seismic safety issues. The solution
lies largely in the difficult and slow process of inter- jurisdictional collaboration
cooperation and mutual problem- solving.
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IV. Goals and Policies
As a fundamental purpose of a Safety Element, the following goals, objectives and
policies are intended to serve as a framework for establishing an effective safety program
that responds to local safety needs and issues. Wherever possible, goals and policies are
quantified to respond to previously identified specific safety needs while recognizing the
constraints to Signal Hill's ability to respond. The policies also recognize that safety needs
may exceed the City's available financial resources to satisfy these needs; therefore, the
policies represent a realistic effort by the City to alleviate its current and future safety
needs and issues.
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GOAL 1
Minimize the potential risks to life, property and economic and social dislocation resulting
from natural and man- made catastrophes, including those resulting from seismic activity,
geologic hazards, fires, tank failures, hazardous materials, epidemics or similar disasters.
POLICY 1.1
Maintain, revise and enforce appropriate standards and codes to reduce or avoid all levels
of seismic or geologic risk.
POLICY 1.2
Maintain and regularly update all seismic and geologic information regarding public safety
in Signal Hill, and ensure the consistency of the information with other affected agencies.
POLICY 1.3
Regulate development in areas within the Alquist- Priolo Special Studies Zone consistent
with levels of acceptable risk.
POLICY 1.4
Recognize the need for greater protection and safety of critical use facilities through
careful site selection and comprehensive geotechnical evaluation.
POLICY 1.5
Regulate the structural safety of all buildings located within the City, especially buildings
constructed before 1933 and buildings housing critical public facilities.
POLICY 1.6
Regulate the amount and type of new development in areas susceptible to fire hazards.
POLICY 1.7
Encourage the Fire Protection District to provide adequate fire protection services
throughout the City.
POLICY 1.8
Design future development located near water storage facilities and below the slope of the
Hill to minimize the possibility of damage from flooding or a water storage facility leak or
rupture.
40
POLICY 1.9
Regulate the location, use, storage and transportation of hazardous and toxic materials in
Signal Hill and protect the public from these hazards.
41
GOAL 2
Provide an environment that is safe and secure and as free from criminal activity as
possible for Signal Hill residents, businesses, employees, visitors and property.
POLICY 2.1
Intensify the City's crime prevention programs.
POLICY 2.2
Respond to crimes against persons and property in Signal Hill in a professional and
effective manner.
42
GOAL 3
Improve the City’s capability to respond to natural and man- made emergencies.
POLICY 3.1
Maintain an effective emergency preparedness plan and program.
POLICY 3.2
To the maximum extent possible, assist in the orderly and efficient reconstruction of Signal
Hill following a major disaster.
POLICY 3.3
Maintain a high level of inter- jurisdictional cooperation and communication on emergency
planning and management.
43
GOAL 4
Assist Signal Hill residents, businesses, workers and visitors in minimizing danger and
disruption to Life and property in the event of a catastrophic event or other emergency.
POLICY 4.1
Undertake preventive measures both for catastrophic events and for more frequent
incidents ( individual structure fires, minor earthquakes, localized flooding, etc.).
POLICY 4.2
To the extent possible, ensure that people take appropriate and effective action to
safeguard life and property during and immediately after emergencies, and assist in
returning their lives and businesses to normal, following a catastrophe.
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V. IMPLEMENTATION - STRATEGY AND PROGRAM
The following programs shall be used to implement the City's Safety Element goals and
policies. This section outlines a coordinated set of actions for carrying out the policies of
the Safety Element.
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
1. Adopt the current Uniform Building Administrative, Mechanical,
Plumbing, Housing and Abatement of Dangerous Buildings Codes,
and the National Electrical Code.
1.1, 1.5
2. Review periodic changes and amendments to standards and codes
for their application to Signal Hill and adopt them as necessary
1.1
3. Require geologic engineering and/ or soils site investigations on all
potential development sites located within the Alquist- Priolo special
studies zone. Such investigations are to be completed prior to
issuance of a building or other permit.
1.2, 1.3
4. Reinvestigate all potential seismic and geologic hazards located in
and around the City every 5 years, or whenever new information
becomes available.
a. Precisely redefine and delineate actual fault traces in the
Alquist- Priolo special studies zone.
b. Reinvestigate the potential for slope instability and landslide
through geologic investigations of current conditions in and
around the hill.
1.2, 1.3
5. Increase public awareness by developing an education program for
residents and businesses on emergency preparedness
4.1, 4.2
6. Evaluate and implement, as appropriate, a program requiring
developers to institute preventive maintenance for all manufactured
slopes, to provide a slope warranty, and to include such provisions
in CC& Rs, and in schedule of association fees.
1.1, 1.3
7. Establish standards regulating the location of critical facilities near
or within known hazard areas.
1.4
8. Review and revise as needed the City’s current grading
regulations.
1.8
45
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
9. Initiate orderly and regular inspections and appropriate abatement
of structural seismic safety hazards in existing buildings, structures,
and critical facilities within the City.
1.1, 1.5
10. Maintain the City’s agreement with the consolidated Fire Protection
Districts of Los Angeles for fire protection services and periodically
review the adequacy of fire protection services.
1.7
11. Maintain and improve, when necessary, present City zoning
ordinance and subdivision regulations requiring Fire Department
approval prior to project plan approval and completion.
1.6, 1.8
12. Adopt the current Uniform Fire Code provisions and update the
codes whenever necessary.
1.7
13. Encourage the Fire Department to provide public education
programs to be conducted by qualified fire- fighting personnel and
made available to all members of the community identifying
potential fire hazards and appropriate responses.
4.1, 4.2
14. Wit the assistance of the Fire Department, encourage employees
to establish training programs regarding fire prevention, control and
evacuation.
4.1, 4.2
15. With the assistance of the Fire Department, ensure that adequate
code provisions are in place for unobstructed areas to multiple-family
units.
1.6, 1.7
16. Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Fire Department in their
review of minimum fire flows and availability and distribution
requirements for water in new developments
1.6, 1.7
17. Establish procedures for prioritizing services and assistance
provided by mutual aid organizations, including the Long Beach
Police and Fire Departments, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
1.9, 2.1, 2.2,
3.1
18. Increase community awareness of potential crime hazards through
public education programs conducted by qualified law enforcement
personnel for all members of the community.
2.1, 4.1, 4.2
46
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
19. Encourage City residents to become active in their community by
continuing to support programs such as Neighborhood Water
Program.
2.1
20. Periodically review and update, as necessary, all law enforcement
procedures and services to ensure the protection of public safety
and welfare within Signal Hill.
2.2
21. Periodically review and update, as necessary, the City’s security
ordinance.
2.1
22. Perform regular inspections of all water storage facilities located
within the City and, if necessary, implement new procedures to
ensure the safety of these facilities.
1.1
23. Collaborate with state and regional agencies in resolving problems
related to treatment and disposal of Class I hazardous wastes.
1.9
24. Periodically review and update all municipal and building codes
regulating the development and maintenance of facilities that
extract, process, transport and store petroleum, natural gas,
chemical acid materials and other potentially hazardous or toxic
material.
1.9
25. Continue to conduct safety inspections of hazardous and toxic
material facilities and implement, as necessary, any new
requirements for the regulations of safety in these facilities
1.9
26. Collaborate with appropriate agencies and industries to define
responsibility and cost allocation for repair and cleanup of
hazardous, dangerous, toxic and other spilled materials.
1.9
27. Require the annual updating of the City’s inventory of all facilities,
pipelines and transport routes involved with hazard and toxic
material activities.
1.9
28. Periodically update local standards, and support strengthening of
state and federal standards concerning the transportation of
hazardous and toxic materials within Signal Hill.
1.9
29. Specify those roadways that are designated as transportation
routes for hazardous and toxic materials within.
1.9
47
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
30. Develop and automatic shutoff system for petroleum facilities in the
event of a potential hazard.
1.9
31. Develop a system for the automatic dispersal of a neutralizing acid
in the event of a potential hazard.
1.9
32. Develop educational programs for public safety, public works and
inspection personnel identifying the types of hazardous materials
located within the City and/ or proper handling procedures in the
event of a hazardous or toxic material emergency.
1.9, 4.1, 4.2
33. Maintain a capability for dealing with hazardous or toxic materials
emergencies; seek funding for such a capability.
1.9
34. Maintain and revise, as necessary, the City’s emergency response
plan, to ensure the optimal safety and welfare of Signal Hill
residents.
3.1
35. Require regular practice of the emergency response and
management plan by City personnel in a simulated setting.
3.2, 3.3
36. Develop an agreement with appropriate emergency medical service
providers to serve Signal Hill’s residents and workers in the event
of a disaster.
3.1
37. Maintain an evacuation plan providing routes and procedures.
3.1
38. Develop an educational program aimed at informing the public of
proper emergency response procedures.
3.2, 4.1, 4.2
39. Periodically reevaluate the coordinated efforts of all emergency
response agencies to ensure the availability of services and the
efficiency of communication.
3.1, 3.3
40. Prepare a recovery plan for reconstruction of essential services
and facilities in the event of an emergency; develop resources and
available sources of funding.
3.2
41. Adopt appropriate policies that will meet anticipated short- term
needs following a major disaster.
3.2
48
Implementation Program Corresponding
Policy
42. Recommend to the California Insurance Commissioner that natural
disaster policy be included in the standard fire insurance form or as
an item of extended coverage in standard homeowners policies.
3.1
43. Maintain an emergency operations center in accordance with the
City’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.
3.1
44. Train City employees in emergency response and management
skills.
3.1
49
VI. GLOSSARY
DEFINITIONS - HAZARDS
Critical Facility - Includes facilities that house or serve many people or otherwise pose
unusual hazards in case of damage from, or malfunction during, an earthquake, such as
hospitals, fire, police and emergency service facilities; and utility " lifeline" facilities, such as
water, electricity, gas supply, sewage disposal, communications and transportation
facilities.
Fault - A fracture in the earth's crust forming a boundary between rock masses that have
shifted.
Active Fault- A fault along which there is recurrent movement, usually indicated by
small periodic displacements or seismic activity.
Potentially Active Fault- ( 1) A fault that has moved within the Quaternary Period
before the Holocene Epoch ( the last 2,000,000 to 11,000 years); ( 2) a fault that,
because it is judged to be capable of ground rupture or shaking, poses an
unacceptable risk for a proposed structure.
Inactive Fault - A fault that shows no evidence of movement in recent geologic
time and no potential for movement in the relatively near future.
Fault Trace - A line formed by the intersection of a fault and the earth's surface. It
is the representation of a fault as depicted on a map.
Fault Zone - A fault that is expressed as a zone of numerous small fractures of
breccias or fault gouge. A fault zone may be as wide as hundreds of meters.
Fire Break - A natural or artificial barrier where plants have been removed for fire- control
purposes.
Fire Hazard Severity Scale - A system of classifying and delineating wildland areas of
varying potential for fire using three criteria: fuel loading ( in terms of wildland plants),
weather and slope.
Fire Hazard Zone - An area where, due to slope, fuel loading, weather or other fire-related
conditions, the potential loss of life and property from a fire necessitates special
fire protection measures and planning before development occurs.
Flood Plain – A lowland or relatively flat area adjoining inland or coastal waters that is
subject to a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year ( i. e., 100- year flood).
50
Fuel or Fire Break - A wide strip of land on which plants have been thinned, trimmed,
pruned or changed to types that burn with lower intensity so that fires can be more readily
put out.
Fuel Loading - The quantity of plants and other fuel per unit of land area.
Fuel Management or Fuel Modification - The use or removal of plants in the wildlands to
reduce the intensity of an approaching wildfire and to increase the ability to prevent or
fight fires while preserving and enhancing environmental quality.
Geotechnical Evaluation - A professional evaluation using scientific methods and
engineering principles performed by a soil engineer licensed in the State of California.
Greenbelt - A strategically located, landscaped zone of variable width in which a low
volume of fuel is maintained in a " green" or " live" condition throughout the year by
irrigation, designed to slow or stop the spread of fire and to prevent soil erosion ( e. g., golf
courses, parks).
Ground Failure - A permanent differential ground movement capable of damaging or
seriously endangering a structure.
Hazardous Building - A building that may be hazardous to life in the event of an
earthquake because it:
1. Was constructed prior to the adoption and enforcement of local codes requiring
earthquake resistant design of buildings
2. Is constructed of un- reinforced masonry
3. Exhibits any one of the following characteristics:
o Exterior parapets and ornamentation that may fall on passers- by
o Exterior walls that are not anchored to the floors, roof, or foundation
o Sheeting on roofs or floors incapable of withstanding lateral loads
o Large openings in walls that may cause damage from torsional forces
o Lack of an effective system to resist lateral forces
Hazardous Material - An injurious substance, including pesticides, herbicides, toxic
metals and chemicals, liquefied natural gas, explosives, volatile chemicals and nuclear
fuels.
51
Landslide - A general term covering a wide variety of mass- movement landforms and
processes involving the downslope transport, under gravitational influence, of soil and
rock material en masse.
Liquefaction - ( sed) The transformation of loosely packed sediment into a fluid mass
preliminary to movement of a turbidity current by subaqueous slumping or sliding.
Liquefaction - ( soil) In cohesionless soil, the transformation from a solid to a liquid state
as a result of increased pore pressure and reduced effective stress.
Liquefaction Slide - The rapid and often catastrophic failure of a loose mass of
predominantly cohesionless material that is generated at or near full saturation. The
essential mechanism of such a slide is the sudden transfer of load from the particle
contacts to the pore fluid, with resultant high transient pore- fluid pressures and
consequent loss of strength. Liquefaction slides usually follow upon a disturbance ( e. g., by
earthquake or conventional slide) and can occur both subaqueously and subaerially
( Koppejan et al., 1948).
Maximum Credible Earthquake - The most severe earthquake that appears capable of
occurring, based on present information, including: ( a) the seismic history of the area; ( b)
the length of significant faults within 100 kilometers; ( c) the type( s) of faults; and ( d) the
tectonic or structural history of the region.
Minimum Fire Flow - A rate of water flow that should be maintained to halt and reverse
the spread of a f} re.
Mudslide ( Mudflow) - A flow of very wet rock and soil.
Noise - ( See definitions in the Noise Element Guidelines.)
Potentially Hazardous Facility - Includes dams and reservoirs, nuclear reactors, tall
buildings, other buildings housing many people, such as schools, prisons and hospitals,
and other structures containing large quantities of potentially explosive or toxic materials.
Seiche - An earthquake- induced wave in a lake, reservoir or harbor.
Subsidence - ( a) The sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of the earth's surface
with little or no horizontal motion. The movement is not restricted in rate, magnitude or
area involved. Subsidence may be caused by natural geologic processes, such as
solution, thawing, compaction, slow crustal warping, or withdrawal of fluid lava from
beneath a solid crust; or by man's activity, such as subsurface mining or the pumping of oil
or ground water. Syn: land subsidence; bottom subsidence. ( b) A sinking or downwarping
of a large part of the earth's crust relative to its surrounding parts, such as the formation of
a rift valley or the lowering of a coast due to tectonic movements. Syn: Sinking.
52
Surface Rupture - A break in the ground surface and associated deformation resulting
from the movement of a fault.
Tsunami - A wave, commonly called a tidal wave, caused by an underwater seismic
disturbance, such as sudden faulting, landslide, or volcanic activity.
Wildland - A non- urban, natural area that contains uncultivated land, timber, range,
watershed, brush, or grasslands.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Page
I. Introduction ................................................................................... C. 6
A. Purpose and Scope ........................................................ C. 6
B. Legislative Authorization ................................................ C. 7
C. Relationship to Other General Plan Elements................. C. 7
II. Background and Existing Conditions ............................................ C. 8
A. Circulation ......................................................................... C. 8
l. Regional Network ................................................ C. 8
2. Local Circulation ................................................. C. 12
3. Integration of Circulation with Land Use ............. C. 22
4. Public Transit and Paratransit ............................. C. 27
5. Bikeways and Pedestrian Circulation .................. C. 30
B. Other Infrastructure ........................................................... C. 31
1. Energy ................................................................. C. 31
2. Communications .................................................. C. 32
3. Public Services .................................................... C. 33
III. Needs, Issues and Constraints ................................................... C. 36
A. Introduction ....................................................................... C. 36
B. Needs and Issues ............................................................. C. 36
1. Future Circulation/ Transportation Needs ............. C. 36
2. Special Areas of Concern .................................... C. 39
3. Traffic Control Improvements ............................... C. 40
4. Bicycle and Pedestrian Pathways ........................ C. 40
5. Other Infrastructure Needs .................................. C. 40
C. Constraints ........................................................................ C. 41
1. Future Circulation/ Transportation Constraints ..... C. 41
2. Jurisdictional Responsibilities .............................. C. 42
3. Dependence on the Automobile ........................... C. 42
4. Fiscal Limitations ................................................. C. 42
IV. Goals and Policies ...................................................................... C. 42
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V. Implementation - Strategy and Programs .................................... C. 45
VI. Street and Highway Standards ................................................... C. 50
A. Design Standards .............................................................. C. 50
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Truck and Bus Routes ........................................................... C. 11
2 Electrical Systems ................................................................. *
3 Sanitary Sewer System ......................................................... *
4 Water Distribution System ..................................................... *
5 Storm Drainage System ........................................................ *
6 Circulation Element ............................................................... *
* These circulation and infrastructure maps are located in the Signal Hill Planning
Department.
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LIST OF TABLES
Number Page
1 Levels of Service ................................................................... C. 15
2 Existing Traffic Conditions ..................................................... C. 16
3 Summary of Existing Intersection Capacity
Utilization and Level of Service .............................................. C. 18
4 Summary of Recommended Street End Treatment ............... C. 21
5 Summary of Existing and Future Land
Use in the City of Signal Hill .................................................. C. 23
6 Summary of Land Use Categories and
Trip Generation Rates ........................................................... C. 24
7 Bus Stop Locations, Long Beach Transit Company .............. C. 28
8 Bus Ridership, 1985, Long Beach Transportation System,
Signal Hill Bus Stops ............................................................. C. 29
9 Signal Hill Water Department Water Availability .................... C. 34
10 Estimated Water Consumption Rate Per Land Use ............... C. 35
11 Future Traffic Conditions ....................................................... C. 37
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I. INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element is to provide
guidelines and policy direction for: ( 1) the provision and maintenance of a
comprehensive transportation system that provides access to all parcels and land use
types; and ( 2) the establishment and maintenance of such infrastructures as water,
sewer, gas, electricity, telephone and petroleum lines.
It is essential for land to be accessible from one or more areas to accommodate the
transport of persons, goods and utility services to, from or across the property.
Circulation access can be provided by way of roadways, bicycle paths, sidewalks or
trails. Utility services can be provided as an integrated part of the transportation system.
Efficiency in the Signal Hill transportation system can be achieved by minimizing the
amount of land necessary to serve properties, consistent with sound transportation
planning and engineering principles. Efficiency in roadway planning, to the extent that it
reduces unnecessary travel, can result in a reduction in automotive emissions and a
corresponding increase in air quality. Fewer square miles of paved streets can also
result in lower volumes of storm water runoff from roadways, with predictable impacts
on storm sewer needs. Most importantly, an efficient transportation system can
contribute to the quality of life in Signal Hill through reducing congestion and trouble
spots and making it easy to move from place to place.
The Signal Hill Circulation Element recognizes that transportation routes and utility
services play an important role in shaping the physical development of the City.
Roadways and utilities, along with structural development, are a part of the architecture
in Signal Hill and provide a relatively permanent foundation foe shaping substantial
portions of the city. Signal Hill's Circulation and Infrastructure Element also offers
opportunities for a variety of transportation means, such as driving, biking and walking.
Lastly, Signal Hill has distinguished view potentials from the Hill that are accessed by
way of roadways and sidewalks.
Circulation maintains vitality in Signal Hill, operating as the system for movement of all
residents, commodities and, to a certain extent, information. The infrastructure network
provides the essential energy resources, services and information linkages to support
Signal Hill residents and visitors.
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B. Legislative Authorization
The State of California recognizes that a Circulation Element provides policy direction
for the location and extent of transportation routes and utility systems throughout a city.
Signal Hill's Circulation and Infrastructure Element also provides policy guidelines for
efficient transportation linkages that offer potential for multi- modal use and for the
reduction, to the extent feasible, of adverse environmental consequences. Government
Code Section 65302( b) requires:
" A circulation element consisting of the general location and extent of existing
and proposed major thoroughfares, transportation routes, terminals, and other
local public utilities and facilities, all correlated with the land use element of the
plan."
Furthermore, the state guidelines recommend that a Circulation Element should
address coordinated land use and circulation relationships, circulation efficiency and
safety, protection of environmental quality and equitable use of economic and natural
resources.
The Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element addresses, to the extent possible,
streets and highways, parking facilities, transit and rapid transit, railroads, paratransit,
bicycle and pedestrian facilities. In addition, the element addresses utility infrastructure
in Signal Hill including petroleum pipelines, natural gas pipelines, electrical transmission
lines, cable television systems, sewer and sanitary waste systems, solid waste
collection, water distribution, flood and drainage control. Although a separate
Infrastructure Element is not required for general plans under state law, inclusion of
infrastructure policies in the general plan is required.
The Circulation Element is a logical counterpart to infrastructure, since many petroleum,
communication and electrical lines and water, sewer and drainage systems are
constructed in conjunction with roadway and sidewalk paving. Policies in the Signal Hill
Circulation and Infrastructure Element relate to circulation, as well as to petroleum
development and provision of natural gas, electricity, communications, sewer and
sanitary waste, water distribution and flood and drainage control.
C. Relationship to Other General Plan Elements
The Signal Hill Circulation and Infrastructure Element is closely related to other
elements of the General Plan, such as the Land Use Element. The Circulation and
Infrastructure Element must, at least, guide the support mechanisms for the
development of land as specified in the Land Use Element and, conversely, may dictate
land use policies. For example, where the Land Use Element designates an area for
high density residential uses, the Circulation and Infrastructure Element must guide the
roadway, water, sewer, drainage and utility systems to accommodate the residents
anticipated in that area. Circulation routes in Signal Hill must be coordinated with those
in Long Beach to achieve efficient traffic and pedestrian flow.
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The Circulation and Infrastructure Element is also related to the Environmental
Resources Element. Roadways can be directed to areas that offer views or to
recreational areas as identified in the Environmental Resources Element or, similarly,
away from any identified sensitive habitat areas.
Lastly, the Circulation and Infrastructure Element is related to the Safety Element by
way of emergency access routes. The Safety Element identifies a need for evacuation
routes under emergency conditions, such as earthquake or toxic waste spills. The
Circulation and Infrastructure Element can guide the development of roads to ensure
that their width, number of lanes and level of maintenance are adequate to carry and
direct emergency traffic.
II. BACKGROUND AND EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Circulation
1. Regional Network
The City of Signal Hill is served by a network of transportation systems that influence
physical, social and economic activities within the City and the adjacent region. These
systems include regional thoroughfares and freeways, which are used by automobiles,
commercial vehicles and trucks, public transit and private transit ( such as vanpools).
Users decide which transportation is most suitable to them, based upon their needs,
and upon the relative congestion, convenience and extent of the physical facility.
Circulation planning in Signal Hill requires a coordinated approach, to link the systems
described below, and provide efficient and effective service to the City.
City of Long Beach – Major Generators
Long Beach, which surrounds Signal Hill, has well- established traffic patterns. Signal
Hill must be attentive to these patterns as they indicate the type and location of traffic
that can evolve in Signal Hill.
Long Beach Airport: Long Beach Airport is located one- half mile north of the City of
Signal Hill. Los Angeles International Airport is 20 miles northwest of the City and
provides domestic and international transportation service for passenger and air freight
destinations. As Signal Hill expands its services to accommodate the demand for
economic growth and prosperity, the reliance on airport facilities and service will
incrementally increase. Both the Long Beach Airport and Los Angeles International
Airport Master Plans specifically address the issues of accommodating future growth
and projected levels of service. Freeway access will become increasingly more
important as development in and around Signal Hill and Long Beach continues. Cherry
Avenue and Temple Avenue off- ramp will not sufficiently meet traffic demands unless
proper improvements are implemented.
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Long Beach Memorial Hospital: Long Beach Memorial Hospital Medical Center,
Community Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital Center are the three largest providers of
emergency medical services, including ambulatory care services on a 24- hour basis in
the area. Within a year's time, the Long Beach Comprehensive Health Care Center will
have an additional role in influencing the flow of emergency vehicle traffic on the Long
Beach/ Signal Hill roadway system.
Downtown Long Beach: This area has been identified as one of the major commercial
centers of Southern California. In an effort to strengthen the local economy, Long Beach
has concentrated on intensifying business and industrial development. Examples
include a variety of developments in the downtown area, as well as projects such as the
proposed World Trade Center. Most major activity is located south of Pacific Coast
Highway, adjacent to the Long Beach Harbor or in the vicinity of the Long Beach
Municipal Airport. Circulation improvements to these activity centers can potentially
stimulate and expand the production of services, thus strengthening the downtown
economy. As the Long Beach economy grows, there will be indirect effects on Signal
Hill.
Freeways
The San Diego Freeway ( I- 405) provides major access to Signal Hill. 1- 405 contains an
eight- lane cross section and interchanges approximately 3 to 4 miles to the north of
Cherry Avenue with the Long Beach Freeway ( I- 710). There are approximately 2,000
vehicles per lane per hour and, according to the State Department of Transportation,
the San Diego Freeway is approaching its design capacity. Full access is provided at
Atlantic Avenue, Cherry Avenue, Orange Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard.
Northbound 1- 405 access to the City for traffic oriented south on Cherry Avenue is
provided at Temple Avenue. Lakewood Boulevard, near Willow Street, provides full
access to the 1- 405.
The Cherry Avenue ramps are located outside the Signal Hill City limits, within the City
of Long Beach. The northbound ramps for Cherry Avenue are separated for northbound
and southbound Cherry Avenue. For those northbound San Diego Freeway motorists
desiring to exit at Cherry Avenue and travel east and west on Spring Street or travel
southbound on Cherry Avenue, the off- ramp is located at Temple Avenue approximately
one- half mile east of Cherry Avenue and south of Spring Street. The northbound ramp
is located at Cherry Avenue and permits traffic to turn only north into the City of Long
Beach.
Rail: Signal Hill industrial and commercial properties do not have immediate rail access.
The Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroad lines exist adjacent to the City of
Signal Hill. The Union Pacific line is located north of Signal Hill in Long Beach and along
the western boundary of the Long Beach Airport. It terminates just south of East
Wardlow Road at Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. This line is utilized for freight cargo.
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The Southern Pacific Railroad right- of- way is located along the southwest boundary of
Signal Hill. This railroad line has been recently deactivated, and the tracks have been
removed.
Harbor: Long Beach Harbor is located 3 miles southwest of Signal Hill. Transportation
linkages to domestic and international destinations allow full passenger and freight
services. Because Signal Hill displays a strong orientation to the oil industry, the
projected increase in economic activity should be accommodated by improving access
routes to the harbor. Additionally, to the extent that Signal Hill is successful in attracting
commerce and industry that rely on the port for shipping of finished goods and/ or raw
materials, accessibility will be a key planning factor.
Trucking Facilities: Signal Hill industrial areas have functional linkages with the Long
Beach and Los Angeles harbor areas. Local truck routes are integrated into the regional
network ( see Figure 1). Port activities are expected to increase significantly by the year
2000, resulting in a doubling of truck trips at the harbor area. 1
Continued economic development in these areas, as exemplified by the Long Beach
World Trade Center, will reinforce the harbor as a regional trucking facility. Plans exist
for an Intermodal Container Transfer Facility proposed north of Willow Street and east
of Alameda Street, which promises to be an additional regional destination. This facility
will transfer container freight between railcars and trucks.
In addition, industries in Signal Hill have access to other regional trucking facilities and
industrial areas through access to the San Diego Freeway and the Long Beach
Freeway. Truck terminals established after November 20, 1984, and local access to
them are covered by a City ordinance2, which requires terminal operators to pay the
cost of necessary street improvements.
________________
1 San Pedro Bay Ports Access Study, Phase 1 Report, Highway Access, SCAG. July 1982.
2 Ordinance Number 84- 11- 937 adopted November 20, 1984. The ordinance regulates
terminals established after its effective date.
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2. Local Circulation
In 1983, the City retained Basmaciyan- Darnell, Incorporated ( BDI) to produce a City-wide
Traffic Engineering Study. This work has been the basis for much of what follows
in discussing and analyzing the City's local circulation system.
City of Signal Hill – Major Traffic Generators
Within the City of Signal Hill, there are approximately 8 major employers with 100 or
more employees. The largest employers are Pacific Valve ( 599 employees), Eastman,
Inc. ( 364 employees), General Telephone Company ( 353 employees) and Petrolane
Gas, Inc. ( 230 employees). Gemco and Beach City Chevrolet are major retail uses that
also generate traffic on surrounding roadways.
Also within the City boundaries are several approved developments that will ultimately
be major traffic generators. The completion of the Town Center Specific Plan
development at Cherry Avenue and Willow Street, including the Price Club, will
ultimately attract employees and customers to the area. On the easterly edge of the city
along Redondo Avenue and Obispo Street, the Alamitos Land Company development
will add approximately 30,000 additional daily trip ends. One other area that is
anticipated to increase traffic loads is the redevelopment of the County Hospital site at
Redondo Avenue and Willow Street for expansion of Eastman, Inc.
Types of Street and Highway Systems: Signal Hill is served by a network of roadways
ranging from freeways, such as Interstate 405 ( San Diego Freeway), to local streets,
such as Panorama Drive. Existing local roadways can be described by type of roadway,
volumes and levels of service, capacity and inefficiencies and linkages to other
systems. Each of these features of the existing circulation system is discussed below.
Types of Roadway: The City's existing roadway classification system includes major
highways, secondary highways, secondary highways modified, traffic collector streets
and local streets, as defined below. The standards for such roadways are also included
in the definition of each road classification.
Major Highways are important City and intercommunity routes. A minimum 100- foot
right- of- way with four moving traffic lanes and a center median is required.
Secondary Highways serve locally destined traffic tying together the various parts of the
city and connecting it to nearby areas. A minimum 80- foot right- of- way with four moving
traffic lanes and a center median is required.
Secondary Highways Modified are similar to secondary highways except with a
narrower right- of- way. A minimum 70- foot right- of- way with four moving traffic lanes and
a center median is required.
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Traffic Collector Streets collect and feed local traffic from the important thoroughfares of
the system. A 60- foot right- of- way with two moving traffic lanes and two parking lanes is
required.
Local Streets are streets designed to serve residential areas. They are intended to
serve abutting properties and local traffic. Their purposes are to provide sole and
exclusive benefit to the residences fronting upon them and to provide access from
residential neighborhoods to adjacent collector streets.
Signal Hill also has a number of streets that were designated on the 1974 adopted
Circulation Element and the Official Plan Line Map as local access ways. These
roadways are generally the result of older land subdivisions that occurred during the
early 1920s and 1930s. Many of these roadways are not fully constructed nor do they
have adjacent development. The streets have been identified as " paper streets"
because they exist on maps only; the only improvements to the roadways are some
grading and oil- treated surfaces.
The San Diego Freeway ( I- 405) is a vital interregional link in the Signal Hill
transportation system. The freeway, established by the State Highway Commission
( now the California State Transportation Commission), permits direct access to the City
from areas such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica to the north and Orange County to the
south. However, the San Diego Freeway has limited access to the City as described
earlier. The freeway is landscaped and maintained by the California Department of
Transportation ( Caltrans).
Major highways identified in the 1974 Circulation Element include: ( a) Cherry Avenue,
which extends north/ south throughout the city; ( b) Orange Avenue, from Spring Street
south to the Pacific Electric Railroad; ( e) Willow Street, which extends east/ west through
the City; ( d) Spring Street, which extends east/ west through the city, and; ( e) Pacific
Coast Highway, which extends east/ west through, and beyond, the City limits.
Cherry Avenue is a four- lane highway north of Willow Street. South of Willow, Cherry is
only one lane in each direction to 21st Street. Between 21st and the south City limits,
Cherry has been widened. Orange Avenue is a three- lane major highway providing
north/ south circulation. Orange Avenue presently provides one lane in each direction
and a painted median between Spring Street and Hill Street.
Willow Street is a four- lane highway, with two lanes in each direction and a landscaped
center median. Parking is restricted from 4 p. m. to 6 p. m. along the south curb line to
provide three lanes eastbound during the p. m. peak hours. Westbound a. m. peak- hour
restrictions are currently needed. As traffic volumes increase on Willow Street,
permanent parking restrictions will be needed to provide three travel lanes in each
direction.
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Spring Street is a four- lane roadway, providing two- lane travel capacity for both east
and west movement through the City. Spring Street has some left- turn pockets, but
signalized turn phasing is not provided.
Pacific Coast Highway ( Highway 1) is located in both Long Beach and Signal Hill, and
bounds Signal Hill on the south. It provides two travel lanes for both east and west-bound
traffic, with left- turn pockets for access into the City.
Secondary highways identified in the 1974 Circulation Element include: ( a) Redondo
Avenue, north of Pacific Coast Highway to the northerly City limit; ( b) Temple Avenue;
( c) Hathaway Avenue; ( d) Junipero Avenue between 28th Street and Spring Street; ( e)
Orange Avenue from the San Diego Freeway to the northerly City limits: ( f) California
Avenue south of Spring Street, and; ( g) 28th Street between Orange Avenue and
Temple Avenue.
One secondary highway modified roadway is identified on the 1974 Circulation Element.
This is Walnut Avenue north of the San Diego ( I- 405) Freeway and between Spring
Street and the southerly city limit.
Collector streets include: ( a) Temple Avenue from Pacific Coast Highway to Hill Street;
( b) Junipero Avenue south of 21st Street; ( c) California Avenue north of spring Street;
( d) Burnett Street; ( e) Hill Street, and; ( f) Alamitos/ 21st Street. Ail other roadways are
local streets.
Capacity Analysis: In order to determine the efficiency of existing roadways, traffic
volumes, levels of service ( LOS) and intersection capacity utilization ( ICU) are analyzed
below. Traffic volume is given in terms of average daily traffic ( ADT) by roadway
segment for major roads. Level of service is a term used to describe prevailing roadway
conditions. It is a qualitative measure of factors such as travel speed, travel time~
interruptions, freedom to maneuver, safety, driving comfort and convenience.
Qualitative definitions for each LOS are shown in Table 1.
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TABLE 1
LEVELS OF SERVICE1
Service Level A: There are no loaded traffic signal cycles, and few are even close to
loaded at this service level. No approach phase is fully utilized by
traffic and no vehicle waits longer than one red indication.
Service Level B: This level represents stable operation where an occasional
approach phase is fully utilized and a substantial number are
approaching full use. Many drivers begin to feel restricted within
platoons of vehicles.
Service Level C: At this level, stable operation continues. Loading is still intermittent
but more frequent than at Level B. Occasionally, drivers may ha